As the second season of Euphoria nears its end, many questions are left unanswered. There is the obvious Nate/Maddy/Cassie love triangle that’s reaching its boiling point, as Rue’s tumultuous recovery journey continues. But the real question here is: what the hell is Lyla Garrity doing there?
Minka Kelly joined the cast of season two in a mysterious role specifically written for her by show creator Sam Levinson. Kelly recently told Vanity Fair that, as a huge fan of the HBO Max show, she was shocked to be offered a role as a mentor to Alexa Demie’s Maddy. Kelly told the mag, “I was like, ‘Sam Levinson knows who I am?’ To be invited on one of your favorite shows is such a surreal thing.”
Kelly is best known for her role of cheerleader Lyla Garrity on NBC’s sports drama Friday Night Lights, who also had her fair share of rollercoaster relationships and cheating scandals. (She currently dates Trevor Noah and previously dated Derek Jeter, Chris Evans, Donald Faison, John Mayer, and Wilmer Valderrama, among others.) Kelly identified with the role and wanted to be seen as a mentor for Maddy’s character.
“I love the idea of making sure that she didn’t have this misunderstanding that in order to have a healthy, functioning relationship as an adult, it means you have to live a perfect life,” Kelly said of their relationship. “You’re not defined by your teenage years in high school. This is the time you’re supposed to mess up. This is all just a period of discovery.” For Lyla Garrity, that discovery came in the form of destroying her father’s car dealership in Texas. Those years didn’t define her either.
