Euphoria season three has already put its central characters through some seriously harsh twists and turns, and Sunday night’s third episode ends with Nate facing a situation where he can’t quite manage to move forward in one piece.
If you’re not caught up and want to dodge spoilers for episode three, it’s best to stop here — because “The Ballad of the Paladin” takes a dark turn that’s far closer to Game of Thrones’ “Red Wedding” than anything resembling a romantic happy ending.
In the episode, Cassie’s commitment to pulling together her dream wedding funds (despite the questionable route she takes via OnlyFans) is no match for a surprise interruption: a man named Naz arrives, and he’s not there for sentimental photos or wedding speeches.
Anyone who has watched will know exactly which shocking sequence follows — and it isn’t a tender newlywed moment under some mistletoe. Jack Topalian, who plays Naz, has since spoken about filming the brutal scene, including one detail that meant Jacob Elordi could have been genuinely injured if things had gone wrong.
“There’s a cutting of a particular body part that my character takes great pleasure in doing,” Topalian explained to Page Six of the gruesome scene, where he cuts off Nate’s toe over a $500,000 debt.
That looming $500,000 is already enough to send Nate spiralling before Cassie even makes it down the aisle. Naz repeatedly calls him in the lead-up to the ceremony, demanding to know where the money is and making it clear he expects payment immediately.
When Nate won’t answer, Naz escalates the situation by showing up at the wedding itself. He confronts Nate and warns he’ll become his “worst nightmare” if the debt from their failed real estate venture isn’t repaid.
From there, the threat turns into violence. Naz later appears at the couple’s home, where Nate is attacked and Cassie is left panicked and hysterical. After Naz’s associate has left Nate badly beaten, Naz steps in — this time bringing clippers.
Topalian clarified that the toe involved in the moment wasn’t real, calling it a prosthetic as he discussed how the scene was put together and filmed.
Topalian — whose credits also include Emily the Criminal and The Mummy (2026) — said he still had to be cautious during filming to ensure Elordi wasn’t hurt for real.
“The clippers that they gave me have pretty sharp edges. So I had to be really mindful of that, because at one point, I do put it around Jake’s toe,” the Armenian actor added. “If I squeezed a little too hard, it would literally cut his toe.
“But, everything turned out well! There were no mishaps, no accidents.”
He also had positive things to say about the other performer involved in the sequence — NFL player and Super Bowl winner Matt Willig — describing him as a “gem of a person” and complimenting his work on camera.
“He’s an amazing actor as well.
“So, he ends up doing all the dirty work… [My character is] the kind of guy where I’m not going to get my hands dirty – but, I’m going to get my money, one way or another.”
According to Topalian, the ordeal wasn’t a quick shoot either. The home invasion and beating took multiple days to film, with Nate getting thrown around different parts of the house. He also noted that Elordi handled plenty of the physical work himself.
Even with the intensity of the scene, Topalian said Elordi kept the mood light between takes and was enjoyable to work with on set.
“Obviously, he gets back into character really quickly.
“But once [the director calls ‘cut’] even though he’s been beaten and abused, he’s still having a lot of fun. He’s still cracking jokes and doing things like that.”