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There is no doubt that Zendaya is one of the finest actresses of the current generation and the extraordinary efforts she puts in to live the character she plays on-screen are commendable.
Zendaya portrays Rue Bennett on HBO Max’s Euphoria who is currently on an ongoing battle with substance abuse and sobriety. The actress recently shared her insights of playing Rue during an appearance on the cover story of The Cut along with her female co-stars of the show.
Zendaya explained how easy it is for her to channelize Rue, "She lives in me in a weird way. I don't have to go searching for her. Even with the Spider-Man movies, I'll talk to the director and ask, 'Is that MJ-y enough?' I try to find it again. With Rue, she's just there." The Emmy-Award-winning actress went ahead and shared that Rue’s relapse and letting her friends’ secrets out (the love triangle between Cassie, Nate, and Maddy) and then trying to get clean was never the part of the original plan.
The actress added, "The ending of the season was going to be very different, and then halfway through, Sam and I were like, 'We just can't leave Rue here. We gotta put some f*****g hope in this show.' By episode six, Rue is starting to stitch her life back together.” (Episode 6th is streaming right now.) She explained that the parts where the audience gets to see Rue making an effort to get clean are a part of her way towards redemption and quoted, "Episode eight is where we'll get that sense of redemption. That you aren't the worst thing you've ever done in your life. I think Rue deserves it, and I think anyone who suffers from the same thing she does deserve it."
Zendaya is not just portraying Rue Bennett on-screen but living it and she is very cautious about how people perceive the show as much as she wants people to understand the people who deal with substance abuse. She discussed Rue’s growth from being a mess to walking towards redemption on her social media ahead of episode five where the audience literally sees her relapse. She wrote, "I think in this show, and this season more specifically, she hits rock bottom. It's my hope for people watching that they still see her [Rue] as a person worthy of their love. And worthy of their time, and that she has a redemptive quality still, and that we still see the good in her even if she can't see it in herself. I think that if people can go with her through that, and get to the end, and still have hope for her future, and watch her make the changes and steps to heal and humanize her through her sobriety journey and her addiction, then maybe they can extend that to people in real life.”
Zendaya won her first primetime Emmy award for her performance as Rue Bennett in Euphoria and became the youngest person to win within the outstanding lead actress in the drama series category. She explained that it is the most important thing for her when the audience sympathizes with a character like Rue Bennett and would love if they do that for the people who are also struggling with the same pain and hurt as her. She wrote on her social media, "I care about her deeply. I also care about the people who care about her, because I think many of them share her story of addiction and sobriety, and many of them share a lot of emotional disorders, and I think it's important that we continue to have that love for her. I think it's important that we have characters that are flawed. And remember that we are not the worst mistake we've ever made. And that redemption is possible.”
Ahead of the show’s premiere, Zendaya shared a trigger warning post for the audience stating that season two is going to be overwhelming for a lot of people and should be watched under strict parental guidance. "I know I've said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences. This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch. Please only watch it if you feel comfortable. Take care of yourself and know that either way you are still loved and I can still feel your support. All my love, Daya."
The audience has applauded the entire cast of Euphoria for their brilliant work on-screen and Sam Levinson for a mind-blowing script. After every episode, the cast involved in the specific episode breaks down their thought process behind their actions on the show which is one of the unique things about Euphoria.
During The Cut cover story, Barbie Ferreira who plays Kat on the show also shared that season two has given her character a little more internal storyline compared to the one she had on season one. She added, “Kat’s journey this season is a little more internal and a little mysterious to the audience. She is secretly going through a lot of existential crises. She loses her marbles a little bit — just like everyone else in this season. The theme is everyone’s gone a little crazy.”
The star cast of highly loved and appreciated Euphoria includes Zendaya, Eric Dane, Sydney Sweeney, Barbie Ferreira, Dominic Fike, Austin Abrams, Storm Reid, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Javon Walton, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Colman Domingo, Nika King, and Jacob Elordi.
If you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse, please visit https://www.samhsa.gov/ or call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
