Nika King plays Leslie Bennett on 'Euphoria'. Image Source: BlaFilmandTV.com 

Nika King, who portrays Leslie Bennett on HBO Max’s "Euphoria," stated that season two has been like where her character evolves and gets an arc. She added that she is very proud to play her on-screen and believes that people who watch the show would try to understand that it is an honest portrayal.

Zendaya mentioned in one of her interviews that "Euphoria" is for a mature audience and it has been crafted in a way to hopefully help people feel a little bit less alone in their experience of pain and hurt.

The actress spoke about the criticism her character received in season two, where a few fans stated that the wrong parent had passed away, and a few said that maybe it was Leslie who had pushed Rue to overdose and commits suicide. Nika stated that when a show is put out for the audience, not everyone understands the perspective from where it was written, filmed, or put out. She adds that everyone is going to have their own opinion and reaction to what they see on-screen, and it’s okay.

Nika King said that she hopes that the audience took away the idea of a mother trying really hard to save her family and daughter while they watched the show. The actress also hopes that people would eventually realize that no matter what happens, individuals can overcome every obstacle in their life if they want to. Nika truly believes that the character of Leslie Bennett was hers to play because of all the things she went through, and she understands the gravity of addiction. 

The actress tries to stay away from social media where fans keep their opinions and reactions to the max, but sometimes she does reply to a few of them where she thinks that her voice is needed. During her interview, she shared that the intense fight scene in episode five was where she struggled to separate herself from her character and explained that it’s hard not to react like herself based on her real-life experience.

Nika explained, "Within that moment, it's not what Leslie would do. So I have to find reasons and justifications to do things that are against my nature. " After the premiere of the episode, someone called Leslie a bad mother for being harsh and hard on Rue after she hits rock bottom, to which Nika King took to her social media to clarify Leslie's stance on the situation. 

During one of the interviews, Zendaya also spoke about the D.A.R.E.’s criticism that went ahead to accuse the show of "glorifying" substance abuse, and the actress said that the show is in no way a moral tale to teach or educate people on how they should live their lives. Euphoria and the people connected with the project are just trying to help the ones looking for hope to live and feel less lonely in whatever they are experiencing. The show simply wants to convey that they are not alone with things they are dealing with and there are people who go through the same things. 

Even with criticism and accusations of glorifying substance abuse and nudity, Euphoria is the second most-watched show on the internet after "Game of Thrones" and had the highest viewership for the finale episode. The show has been renewed for season three, and the actors are excited to be back to shooting again once Sam Levinson sets up his vision for season three.

Euphoria’s episodes are streaming on HBO Max.