Barbie Ferreira reflects on leaving Euphoria, finding creative fulfillment, and earning rising star honors at Mediterrane Film Festival in Malta
Barbie Ferreira graced the blue carpet at the Mediterrane Film Festival in Malta on Sunday, where anticipation buzzed ahead of the prestigious Golden Bee Awards. Known for her breakout role as Kat in HBO’s Euphoria, Ferreira was among the evening’s celebrated honorees, accepting the Rising Star award alongside industry icons like Russell Crowe and Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas.
Barbie Ferreira at the Golden Bee Awards presented by the Mediterrane Film Festival in Malta.
Courtesy of Shutterstock/Mediterrane Film Festival
Courtesy of Shutterstock/Mediterrane Film Festival
Radiating modesty and candor, Ferreira admitted to feeling "a little shy" about taking the stage. Her presence, however, marked a defining moment in her transition from breakout television talent to an artist committed to indie cinema, theater, and meaningful storytelling. “I feel really great about the fact that other people are seeing that I’m taking chances and doing indie films and theater,” she shared. “I’ve been doing things that fulfill me.”
Ferreira’s recent career choices underscore a bold pivot toward passion-driven projects. Her work spans Broadway’s Cult of Love, Jordan Peele’s Nope, and the psychological thriller House of Spoils opposite Oscar winner Ariana DeBose. Audiences will next see her in a modern reimagining of the cult horror film Faces of Death and in Bob Trevino Likes It, co-starring John Leguizamo.
Each role, Ferreira says, is part of a larger commitment to collaborate with creators who bring a distinctive vision to the screen. “I’m drawn to people who have fresh ideas, their own style, and who are really good at creating their own point of view in the world,” she said.
Her creative freedom today, she acknowledges, is rooted in the success of Euphoria. That show, she says, served as a crash course in the surreal nature of fame and self-discovery. “It was my first job and I learned so much about myself, who I am as an actor, and what I want to do,” Ferreira recalled. “It was so fun and weird to be on a show that just blows up. All of a sudden, you’re 22 and, like, what?”
The overwhelming exposure was both thrilling and disorienting, she added. Yet that experience ultimately empowered her to shape a career aligned with her creative instincts. “Now I feel free in a way where I get to really do what I want,” she explained. “I get to produce stuff that I like and be in these stories that I probably wouldn’t have had time for if I were on the show. It’s been really great.”
