Overview
- On Armchair Expert, Fike recounts staying up drinking whiskey and taking shrooms before the audition, arriving 30 minutes late, behaving erratically and being told to go home.
- He says a casting agent first contacted him after seeing his triple j Like a Version performance of Clairo's 'Bags', and he initially did not realize how prominent the series was.
- About a year later, Fike was called back after trying to get his life in order as Levinson rewrote the part to reflect what he saw in that first meeting.
- Fike recalls Levinson requiring him to get help and sign a five‑year contract, seeking assurance he would not jeopardize the production.
- Fike has previously said he was given a sober coach, was reprimanded for on‑set drug use and nearly lost the job, and The Hollywood Reporter says he is set to return in season three targeted for spring 2026.