Painful truth about Alexa Demie after she vanished... then emerged with drastic new look: Insiders spill on Sydney Sweeney feud and Euphoria star's plan for revenge
When Euphoria premiered on HBO in the summer of 2019, the racy teen drama series was an instant hit and served as a catalyst for some of the biggest careers in Hollywood.Zendaya, who plays the lead role of struggling drug addict Rue, earned an Emmy Award for her performance and continues to break box office records with films such as Spider-Man and the Dune franchise.Jacob Elordi, who portrays antagonist Nate Jacobs, received his first Academy Award nomination this year. And Sydney Sweeney, who plays the tragic Cassie Howard, continues to make headlines for her dating history and a viral political controversy.But it was Alexa Demie, 35, then a relatively unknown actress and singer from Los Angeles, who was considered the biggest breakout star of Euphoria. Her performance as the fiery, fiercely loyal Maddy Perez was instantly beloved by fans, and her on-screen style established Demie as a fashion 'it' girl.These days, however, it seems that Demie's promising career has all but stalled compared to her Euphoria co-stars. And the third season of Euphoria, which premiered Sunday, April 12 on HBO, marked Demie's first on-screen appearance in nearly two years.Now, an inside source has detailed to the Daily Mail what caused Demie's apparent rise and fall, and why she hopes that her return to Euphoria will 'open up more opportunities' in Hollywood. Alexa Demie, 35, returned to HBO's Euphoria as Maddy Perez when season three premiered on Sunday, April 12'Alexa is hoping that this season will open up more opportunities for her in Hollywood, because she feels like she should be just as popular and sought after as her co-stars,' the source exclusively told the Daily Mail.'She wants to be a star, and the fact she isn't as big as Sydney and Zendaya does bug her.'On Tuesday, Demie made her return to the red carpet for the premiere of Euphoria's third season. She arrived at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles wearing a vintage Bob Mackie gown, but it was her seemingly unrecognizable appearance that stunned fans.When Euphoria viewers last saw Demie in 2022, she had become known for her sleek black hair and full-glam makeup looks. But this week, Demie ditched her usual straight locks and dark eye makeup for a more fresh-faced appearance.But according to the source, the viral attention surrounding Demie's red carpet appearance may have actually been a calculated move to place the actress back in the public eye.'She loved being out there at the premiere. She's ready to audition more. She was also happy that people said she looked different. She wants to show that she can be different people and change her look if needed for future roles,' the source said.'She doesn't want to leave Hollywood and the goal right now is to be just as big or bigger than her co-stars at some point.'Demie has also recently garnered attention for her alleged feud with her co-star Sweeney, along with rumors of a supposed rift among the rest of the Euphoria cast. Demie's seemingly unrecognizable appearance at the Euphoria season three premiere in Los Angeles stunned fans Rumors of an alleged rift between Demie and her Euphoria co-star Sydney Sweeney (pictured) have circulated onlineFollowing Tuesday's premiere, fans speculated the relationship between Demie and Sweeney had turned sour when a video of their interaction on the red carpet went viral.In the clip, Sweeney interrupted Demie's red carpet interview to give her a hug. The pair shared a few pleasantries and Sweeney told Demie she looked 'amazing.'However, fans in the comments section described the moment as 'awkward' and 'fake'.Despite their supposedly friendly interaction at the Euphoria premiere, the source shared there was no love lost between Sweeney and Demie.'Alexa and Sydney can co-exist in the same room if they have to, but they would avoid each other as much as possible on set,' the source told the Daily Mail.'People could tell there was no love lost between them. They definitely don't like each other. They aren't friends and they aren't going to be. Zendaya and the rest of the cast didn't take sides. It is what it is between all of them.'Before she landed the role of Maddy, Demie was a sunglasses designer who grew up with a single mother living in Atwater Village, a neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her mother, Rose Mendez, was a makeup artist who immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a baby. Demie has previously described their very close relationship to InStyle, calling her mom 'the number one person in my life,' despite her mother having her at an 'extremely young' age and not having 'any support emotionally or financially' from the rest of her family. Pictured in June 2019: Before Euphoria, Demie was a sunglasses designer living in Los Angeles The actress previously revealed she was 'bullied' in school and 'didn't have a lot of friends'Unlike her Euphoria character Maddy, who is introduced in season one as the popular cheerleader with a football quarterback boyfriend, Demie told Wonderland Magazine she was 'bullied' all throughout elementary to high school.While in high school, Demie would buy wholesale sunglasses and bedazzle them with rhinestones. She sold her creations at a store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, which became the start of her sunglasses brand Mainframe, and they were later worn by Jennifer Lopez and Nicki Minaj.Demie also discovered the performing arts program at her school, but it wasn't until she appeared in her friend's short film that she began to take acting seriously.In 2015, she was cast in the lead role in a movie called The Godmother, a scrapped biopic about Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco. While the film was never made, she did find an agency to represent her and began going on auditions.Demie previously recalled how she would 'get incredibly nervous' before an audition, and shared her frustration over the limited roles for Latina women in Hollywood. She said it even got to a point where she considered quitting acting because the entertainment industry tends to overlook Latina women for lead roles.'I think I got better at [auditioning] because I went to so many that it just became like routine, you know, and you do it enough times,' she said on The A24 Podcast in 2020.'I kind of got to the point where I was like, "I'm over this and I kind of don't even want to do this anymore,"' she recalled. Pictured with Hailey Bieber in October 2022: Demie said she nearly quit acting over her frustration with the lack of roles for Latina women in Hollywood Pictured in April 2022: Demie said she would 'get incredibly nervous' before an audition'Everyone always says when you're ready to quit, something happens. But, like, it's kind of true. I wasn't booking anything ever and it was really hard especially because I feel like a lot of the lead roles I would go out for would go to like a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl,' Demie said.She later added, 'I just don't think I would be typically looked at for a lead role. Like, you never see like a mixed or a Latin girl as a lead. It was kind of hard and I was kind of over it and I was over people saying no to me.'Between 2016 and 2019, she appeared in small TV roles for shows such as Ray Donovan and The OA, and parts in indie films like Brigsby Bear and Mid90s.She auditioned for director Augustine Frizzell's 2018 film Never Goin' Back, but didn't land the job. However, Frizzell later emailed her about an audition for Euphoria, the pilot episode of which she was directing.At the time, Demie was considering quitting acting to pursue her passion for music. In 2016, she released the single 'Girl Like Me,' which she followed up with the song 'Leopard Limo' in 2021.But she knew the role of Maddy in Euphoria was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.'Honestly, I feel like what really changed it was Euphoria. Just the euphoric emotion,' Demie said on The A24 Podcast.The first season of Euphoria was a smashing success, averaging 6.6 million viewers across all platforms in the first 90 days. The second season, which aired in January 2022, broke even more records as HBO's second-most watched show with an average of 16.3 million viewers per episode. Jacob Elordi (left) and Demie respectively starred as high school couple Nate Jacobs and Maddie Perez in Euphoria season one Demie reprised her role as Maddy in Euphoria season three (pictured)Despite Euphoria's popularity, Demie's work schedule seemingly came to a halt shortly after the show's second season. In fact, Demie has appeared in only two projects since 2022 – an uncredited role in HBO's The Idol and in comedian Julio Torres' comedy series, Fantasmas, in 2024.Perhaps it is Demie's self-admitted dedication to privacy that has kept her out of the spotlight compared to her Euphoria castmates. On Instagram, where she has 11million followers, her most recent post was shared all the way back in August 2023.Speaking to InStyle in 2019, she explained that she didn't have a lot of friends in high school because of her introverted personality.'I'm such a private person. I've gotten this since high school – girls would never speak to me and I think that's why I didn't have a lot of friends,' Demie said.'Then, when I would finally speak to them, they would be like, "Oh, you're not a b****." I think just because, in high school especially, I was very introverted, and if I don't know you, I can be really shy. I'm either a complete introvert or a complete extrovert. I'm nice. Say hi.'As a result of her introverted ways, much of Demie's dating life is also shrouded in mystery.The actress was reportedly in a long-term relationship with American musician Christian Berishaj, known professionally as JMSN, since 2017. That year, she appeared in the music video for his song 'Slide.' She made another cameo in the music video for his song 'Act Like I'm Not Here' in September 2021. Pictured in February 2022: Demie has been in a long-term relationship with musician Christian Berishaj, known as JMSN, since 2017. Fans speculated the couple broke up in late 2025In October 2020, Demie and Berishaj were photographed swimming and holding hands on the beach in Miami, Florida, though they've remained extremely private since.Earlier this year, fans speculated the long-term couple had called it quits when Berishaj appeared to unfollow Demie on Instagram and deleted posts and videos of her from his profile.Last December, Berishaj seemingly referenced the breakup in an interview when he said he hasn't been on a date in nine years. 'I was in a relationship for eight of them,' he said in the clip.However, Demie has not publicly commented on the status of her relationship.There are also plentiful online theories about Demie's age, as fans believe the actress is much older than she purports to be.When Euphoria debuted in 2019, some outlets had reported Demie was 24 years old. Online sleuths then resurfaced a list of alumni from Demie's high school that showed she graduated in 2008, which would make her 35 today.Demie has not publicly acknowledged speculation about her age.At the premiere, she agreed with her co-star Zendaya's suggestion that season three of Euphoria will likely be its last.Unfortunately for Demie, her return to the screen may be overshadowed by the show's abysmal reviews. Critics have already torched the premiere episode as an 'unhinged disaster,' with a dismal 53 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Demie for comment.
