Meet Young Cal and Derek (and Marsha) on ‘Euphoria’: Elias Kacavas, Henry Eikenberry, and Rebecca Louise

HBO‘s Euphoria has a knack for taking us inside the heads of people we could otherwise hate. And while Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane) has totally done more than enough to earn our undying ire, Euphoria Season 2 Episode 3 brings some long-awaited humanity to the man. We learn in the episode’s cold open that young Cal (Elias Kacavas) was in love with his best friend Derek (Henry Eikenberry). The two finally consummate their love for each other after an impetuous trip to a gay bar, a place where they can finally be themselves. The one hitch? The morning after, Cal learns from sexually free teen girlfriend Marsha (Rebecca Louise) that she’s pregnant.

This is the backstory for how Nate’s (Jacob Elordi) parents got together. (Note: Marsha was pregnant with Nate’s older brother in this flashback.) For once, Cal is depicted not as a middle-aged monster, a bully, or an abuser. He was once a tortured teen like Nate, Rue (Zendaya), and the rest of Euphoria‘s cast.

Euphoria star Eric Dane told Decider that when he read the Euphoria Season 2 scripts, he realized that “we kind of get to create a whole new Cal here, the Cal 2.0. Because he is completely different. Before he was a very contained guy and now he’s becoming completely undone.”

Current day Cal might be breaking down and pissing on the floor, but what about the actors playing the young Cal and his would-be lover Derek? (And Nate’s mom in her teen hottie stage?) Here’s everything you need to know about the actors in Euphoria Season 3’s cold open.

Who Plays Young Cal and Derek and Young Marsha on Euphoria Season 2 Episode 3? Meet Elias Kacavas,  Henry Eikenberry, and Rebecca Louise

Elias Kacavas plays Young Cal in the Euphoria Season 2 Episode 3 cold open. The actor was a student at NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts (majoring in drama, of course), but he dropped out to appear in both Euphoria and the upcoming HBO Max series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. (Sounds like HBO and HBO Max are fans!) You can follow Kacavas on Instagram @eliaskacavas.

Cal’s BFF/would-be lover Derek was played in Euphoria Season 2 Episode 3 by Henry Eikenberry. Euphoria seems to be the actor’s first gig and you can follow him on Instagram @henryeikenberry.

Euphoria Season 2 Episode 3 also introduced a younger version of Nate’s mom, Marsha, played by up-and-coming actress Rebecca Louise. According to IMDB, Louise has hitherto only played a “female figure” in Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman. On Twitter, she’s revealed that Zendaya gave her a “fist bump” and said “good job” on her first day on set and that appearing in the series is a “dream come true.” She also revealed that she was cast in the role after working as a background extra in the series, so she appears twice in the episode.

You can follow Rebecca Louise on Instagram @rebeccalouisela.

Where to stream Euphoria