This story originally appeared in i-D’s The Timeless Issue, no. 371, Spring 2023. Order your copy here.
Euphoria, the second-most watched series in HBO history, is a hotbed of controversy. The show’s fans rabidly dissect each cast member’s social media behaviour, outfit choices, romantic relationships, and any rumoured interaction with the show’s creator, Sam Levinson. But there’s one cast member who floats above all the drama: Angus Cloud, the pathologically chill Oakland native with an irresistible drawl who plays Fezco, a drug dealer with a heart of gold.
Before his star turn in Gen Z’s megawatt take on Skins, Angus had no ambitions to become a celebrity. He was famously found by a casting scout on the street during a brief stint living in Brooklyn, the sort of classic Hollywood discovery story (consider Lana Turner at the soda fountain) that’s practically extinct in today’s entertainment industry. “I definitely thought it could be some kind of scam,” Angus says with a laugh over the phone. “But I ended up getting the agent’s phone number because she seemed real legit. They asked my buddy to come in too, and he said ‘No, fuck that, it’s bullshit.’”
But Angus’s buddy was wrong: it wasn’t bullshit, the casting agent was indeed legit, and Angus ended up going in for an interview-cum-secretive-audition. “They didn’t tell me anything about Euphoria,” he says. “Then they brought me back in and they showed me the role, and it made more sense. Because in my mind I was like, they stopped me because I look like I could be a star? Then I’m like, no, it’s because I look like I could be a drug dealer.”
After Euphoria premiered in the summer of 2019, fame came barrelling towards Angus like a freight train. But “The difference between me and everyone else who’s famous it’s that they were trying to go get famous, for the most part,” he said. “They were working hard, and they were like, ‘I’m going to make it to the top’. For me, it was just like too good of an opportunity to say no to. I had no idea it would go this far.”
Angus enjoys his privacy. And while there are major benefits to his rising stardom — the actor recently wrapped production on a movie, and in 2022 was the face of AMIRI — he understandably does not appreciate the intrusions that come with it. “I don’t like people noticing me on the street,” he says, “I’m really paranoid. I feel like I’m always looking over my shoulder. I do always show love to people who approach me, but some people just run up and just shove their phone in my face. Dude, I’m not a clown at a carnival.”
“But I love when people ask for my autograph. It’s only happened a couple times,” he said. “Although I tried to ask Busta Rhymes for an autograph the other day and he wouldn’t give me one.”
As young actors are wont to do, Angus has moved to LA. He doesn’t love it. “No diss to LA, there’s a lot of great people in LA,” he said. “There’s a lot of great things going on over there. But I’m not going to lie. LA’s in the desert. It’s hella big. You need a car. It’s like waxed whips and waxed lips.”
But he’s a California native, and the state will always be home. “Oakland’s where my heart’s at,” he said. “I love the people, the community. It’s beautiful. You have the hills, there’s a redwood forest five minutes from the flat lands, which is right next to the estuary. Watching the sunset over San Francisco… It’s just a beautiful place to be.”
He lives in Los Angeles with friends from the Bay Area, and he tries to get back home as much as possible, luxuriating in the rolling golden hills and dramatic cliffs that make up the landscape between southern and northern California. “I take the train even though it takes ten hours and the plane takes an hour, but I really enjoy the train ride,” he said. “It’s relaxing. Just sitting in the comfy chair.”
Growing up in the Bay Area, home of many vintage emporiums, Angus developed his own unique style, unwittingly preparing for a future fashion-adjacent career. “I grew up in thrift stores,” he says. “You have to find your own style, let your style develop. It’s not something that you can just take from a book. Style is how you hold yourself.”
On these pages he poses for Julián Burgueño as part of a continuation of his partnership with AMIRI. Recently he was the star of their Icon campaign, shot by Karim Sadli, the strong bones of his face framed by dramatic, chiaroscuro shadows. He considers designer Mike Amiri a friend, explaining that, “If I have an idea, I feel I can call him up and he’ll listen and give me a good perspective. He’s always willing to hear me out and collaborate.”
“I love the fact that he came up on his own and built a brand for himself in a really competitive industry,” Angus continues. “The fashion industry is no joke and it’s not easy to find success. It shows how hard Mike worked and I admire that.”
The fashion industry is no joke (though it is often fun to joke about), and yet it seems to be another cutthroat space that Angus is managing to conquer. But despite all the glamour that comes with his career, he still keeps it real. Fans were delighted to see photos of Angus eating a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos while seated front row at a fashion show earlier this year. “I didn’t know that that was something that anyone would think twice about,” he said. “I was just having a snack at the show.” Flamin’ Hot Cheetos for all.
Credits
Photography Julian Burgueño
Fashion Milton Dixon
Groomer Tiago Goya at Home Agency
Photography assistance Sebastian Johnson
Digital Operator George Brooks
Styling assistance EJ Ellison
Executive Creative Director Georgina Bacchus
Senior Creative Yara Heine
Account Director Cate Jensen
Executive Producer Elise Lebrun and Michael May
Producer Alicia Sadler
Production Manager Jerome Rousseau
Production Assistants Jonathon Maragos and Sean Friday
All clothing and shoes (worn throughout) AMIRI.