Stories from the set

Angus Cloud, who was up for the role of Fezco, got it instantly.

Model and actress Barbie Ferreira auditioned about 7 times before she was given the role of Kat.

For Rue's drug use storyline, series creator Sam Levinson drew on memories of his own drug addiction as a teenager.

When writing the stories of Jules and Kat, series creator Sam Levinson drew on the biographies of Hunter Schafer and Barbie Ferreira, respectively.

For Rue's storyline and her drug addiction, Sam Levinson drew on memories of his own drug addiction as a teenager.

The titles of all episodes of the first season, except for episodes 7 and 8, use the titles of rap songs. Even the title of the first episode, "Pilot," is the title of one of the tracks by Curtis Jackson, known by his stage name 50 Cent.

The scene of the altercation between Rue and her mother Leslie in the second episode was pure improvisation. Writer and director Sam Levinson told Leslie, played by Nika King: "Whatever happens, don't let her leave."

When filming of the pilot episode began, Astro, a contestant from the first season of The X Factor (2011) and a rapper, suddenly decided to leave the cast. Nothing is known about the reasons for his decision, but it is claimed that he was uncomfortable with having to act in scenes that were not written in the script. It is also claimed that he proposed that his character be involved in homosexual scenes in later episodes. After lengthy disputes with the producers, it was decided to replace him with Algee Smith.

Sydney Sweeney, who plays the popular cheerleader Cassie in the series, got nervous when it came to filming nude scenes, and she even needed a long conversation with her mother. Be that as it may, the 21-year-old actress later stated that she is proud to have worked on such a project.

Work on the second season was postponed at the very last moment due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sam Levinson specifically wrote scripts for two additional episodes that could be filmed under COVID restrictions.