Despite the controversies that surfaced against HBO’s teen drama Euphoria, the series continues to trend with as one of the network’s trailblazers.

Euphoria’s episode six that aired last Sunday night puts Algee Smith under the spotlight as it delved into his character’s past. Smith takes on the role of Chris McKay, the only college student in the group struggling as a former highschool football star.

In the episode, viewers dive into McKay’s relationship with his authoritarian father, who pressures him to be the best athlete in the field. The character begins to fear his future when he realizes his athletic abilities may not be enough to make it to the NFL. In one particular sequence, McKay breaks down after he is assaulted in a hazing ritual.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Smith talks about filming the intense scene, the nuances of his character and working with an intimacy coordinator on-set.

Regarding his character’s relationship with his father the actor says:

“I think his father’s opinion really just affects his everyday thought process, and when he feels he’s not making it in college, that really hurts him to break it to his father. That relationship is very critical to him and his confidence.”

When asked about the “scary” hazing scene, Smith credits editing on how the show achieved the intensity of the scene.

“In that scene, he was getting hazed by the frat or whatever, and his drunk frat brothers came in and were fake humping him. It looks really graphic in the scene the way they edited and chopped it up, which is scary as hell, but they’re play-humping and whatever and calling him “McGay.” The way they made it look was very scary; I was surprised by the editing.”

Speaking about his intimacy coordinator he says: “She really kept an eye on us and kept us protected, not in the sense that anyone else didn’t want to protect us, but it was her job to overprotect and make sure that we were super comfortable being in the position we were in.”