In its short existence, Euphoria – Sam Levinson’s wild, often gruesome HBO melodrama about wayward teens in suburban California – has been memed and mocked, often for its outlandish plot elements and self-indulgent tone. It also has ardent defenders, who love its gossipy salaciousness and the way it treats teen emotions – hate, heartbreak, lust, apathy, alienation – with fundamental earnestness and sincerity. Key to this spirit is the show’s talented cast, who are adept at capturing the anxiety and profound awkwardness of youth. Few were better at that than Angus Cloud. The actor, who died on 31 July, aged 25, played the mumbling, sweet drug dealer Fezco and built one of Euphoria’s most compelling characters out of half-sentences and dazed stares. As one of the key foils to Zendaya’s drug addict Rue, Cloud was required to toe a constant line between compassion and exasperation without turning his character into a caricature. In a show known for its larger-than-life aesthetic and soap-operatic plotting, Fezco became an unusual fount of realism. Even as his character became embroiled in the kind of dealers-vs-feds sub-plot that seemed as if it was lifted straight from a cop show, Cloud kept a tight grip on his character’s grace and empathetic nature. Tributes shared by Cloud’s co-stars since his death suggested the actor had those same qualities: “Words are not enough to describe the infinite beauty that is Angus. I’m so grateful I got the chance to know him in this life, to call him a brother, to see his warm kind eyes and bright smile, or hear his infectious cackle of a laugh,” Zendaya wrote on Instagram earlier this week. “I know people use this expression often when talking about folks they love … ‘They could light up any room they entered.’ But boy let me tell you, he was the best at it. I’d like to remember him that way. For all of the boundless light, love and joy he always managed to give us. I’ll cherish every moment.” Cloud wasn’t an actor before he was cast in Euphoria. He was spotted hanging out in Manhattan with some friends by a representative of the casting agent Jennifer Venditti. She had to work to get Cloud to hand over his mobile number – then a waiter at a Brooklyn diner, he initially thought he was being scammed. Although Euphoria was the first time Cloud had acted, Fezco was an instant fan-favourite character; as Rue’s friend and reluctant drug dealer, he frequently appeared to be both a brotherly figure and a source of imminent danger, often at the same time and in a way that seemed natural. Initially slated to die in season one, Cloud’s character was expanded in season two: Fezco was given a younger brother, Ashtray, with whom he sells drugs, and a love interest – Lexi, played by Maude Apatow. In his brief run on Euphoria, Cloud suffused Fezco with kindness, anger, love, complexity – and shone as an example of the drama’s exemplary acting, even among experienced players. It will be hard for Levinson and co to pull off a third season of the show without his grounding presence. Although it was his careful, considered performance that initially won Cloud legions of adoring fans, he was just as popular offscreen. Perhaps because he never intended to be an actor, Cloud often refused to participate fully in red carpet pageantry and politics: the most indelible image of him for many people may be the viral interview he gave Entertainment Tonight at last year’s Vanity Fair Oscars party, in which he mumbled his way through a handful of responses about the finale of Euphoria season two, before a polite “No, thank you” when asked to elaborate. Although Cloud became a fixture of red carpets and fashion show front rows, his essential, endearing blasé-ness never seemed to waver. His oeuvre might be minuscule – he shot two more films before his death, set for release at unspecified dates – but his work is testament to the fact that novice actors can create indelible, generationally beloved characters. Even off-air, Euphoria is a site of controversy, conflict and contention; Cloud existed outside all that, a dose of reality in an unreal world.