Jacob Elordi reveals Euphoria coffin scene and rattlesnake death

After Nate Jacobs was killed in a coffin-and-snake sequence on “Euphoria” Season 3 on May 24, Jacob Elordi detailed what it took to film the gruesome finale moment—including the real-life logistics of being locked in the box, and what changed for safety when t

When the May 24 episode of “Euphoria” aired. Nate Jacobs’ end landed in viewers’ memories with the kind of finality that doesn’t fade quickly. In the penultimate episode of Season 3. the actor playing Nate. Jacob Elordi. watched his character’s final hope narrow to a single hole—only for that opening to become part of the fatal sequence.

Nate’s financial troubles finally caught up after he spent the season evading Naz (Jack Topalian) with promises he’d get his money. In the end, Naz and his partner Artur (Matthew Willig) buried Nate alive inside a coffin. Nate’s only chance was a small hole leading to the surface for air. He kept yelling for help, but the hole that offered oxygen also left space for the real attacker. A rattlesnake slithered into the coffin and fatally attacked him.

Elordi said the filming process—while horrifying on screen—ended up being strangely manageable for him in the moment. He is 28. In an HBO featurette segment that aired after the episode. he described being sealed inside the coffin as something he could not physically escape: his shoulders touching the sides. his arms trapped. the lid then being drilled shut. and the scene growing dark.

“I had to go into this coffin. My shoulders were touching the side, and I couldn’t move my arms, and then they would drill the lid on, and it would get dark,” Elordi said. “It was really nice, actually. It was quite peaceful in there.”

There was, however, a difference between the snake viewers saw and what the production used for safety. Elordi wasn’t fazed by the real snake that was involved because the crew ultimately used a boa constrictor instead of a rattlesnake. He recalled the setup plainly: “They had a boa constrictor that they put a fake rattler on the end of. and Sam was like. ‘We’re just going to drop a snake on you. ‘” he said. “The snakes were rattling, which is really alarming when you’re locked in a box.”.

Elordi said he called the snake “super-cute.” In his telling. it didn’t feel like the nightmare the episode suggests; it felt subdued. almost sleepy. “He was, like, real cuddly, so he just saddled up next to me, and it was nice. But he was real sleepy. I had to kind of nudge him to get him to come up.”.

Even with the altered reality of production, Elordi framed the moment as both heavy and satisfying in retrospect. He called Nate’s exit “bittersweet” and described it as “a cool way to go.” He said Nate’s story is filled with mistakes and dark choices. and seeing it come to an end was the point: “Nate is someone who’s made so many mistakes and made so many dark choices. ” Elordi said. “It’s cool to see it all come to what it’s come to.”.

The sequence also landed as more than just shock. Creator Sam Levinson told Esquire he hopes Nate’s death pushes viewers toward deeper conversations about “justice or karma. ” and whether the character—who was often abusive and controlling of his wife Cassie (Sydney Sweeney)—got what he deserved. Levinson described the tightrope he and his team try to walk: giving fans what they want while making the moment so intense and anxiety-inducing that the audience hesitates even as it watches him fall.

“How can I give [fans] what they want. but make it so horrific and anxiety-inducing that by the time it happens. the audience isn’t so sure they wanted it?” Levinson said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, you wanted him to get his comeuppance … ?. OK. That feeling of complicity with the audience is always an interesting note to play inside of this sort of larger structure.”.

He added, “You end up going, ‘Oh, God, I don’t know. Should he have had it better? Did he deserve it?’” Levinson said. “Those kinds of questions are always exciting to pose to the audience.”

With this death, Elordi said it would be the final time viewers see Nate onscreen in the present day. He described having “good things to say” about both his character and the show he has been part of since 2019. In the post-show featurette, Elordi said, “This show is a massive part of, not just my career, but my life. It’s been amazing, and I’m so proud being a part of this.”.

The Season 3 finale of “Euphoria” will air Sunday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

Euphoria Jacob Elordi Nate Jacobs HBO Season 3 finale May 31 9 p.m. ET coffin death scene snake boa constrictor Sam Levinson Sydney Sweeney Cassie