Skip to main content

Zendaya Says It Was Painful To Play Rue In Euphoria Season 2

Euphoria star Zendaya said that portraying Rue in season 2 of the HBO drama grew painful for herself and others on the show to experience. The show, an adaptation of the 2012 Israeli series of the same name, features teenaged characters navigating intense topics and experiences surrounding sex, drug addictions, and relationships. Zendaya's character, Rue Bennett, enters the series with mental health issues and struggles with drug addiction over the course of season 1.

Before the Euphoria season 2 premiere, audiences last saw Rue grappling with the reality of her drug addiction in the show's two Christmas specials released in 2020. Rue admits that she is suicidal in a meeting with Ali (Colman Domingo) and makes an unannounced visit to Jules' (Hunter Schaefer) house, where the two characters unsuccessfully attempt to reconcile their feelings for one another. Rue's path doesn't get any easier to start season 2: she nearly overdoses again in the season premiere, "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door."

Related: Euphoria Season 2 Cast Guide: Every New & Returning Character

Although Rue and Jules do finally makeup in the episode, it appears things won't get easier for Zendaya's character just yet. The 25-year-old actress told RadioTimes.com ahead of the season's premiere that rock bottom awaits Rue in Euphoria season 2, although she feels confident that series creator and showrunner Levinson won't leave the character toiling in a dark place for long. Zendaya said:

"This season, more specifically, she goes to the rock bottom. When we get midway through, that’s when the rock bottom hits, and that’s where it became extremely painful for all of us to watch. And to portray her going through it hurt me."

Zendaya said that she believes Rue is in some ways a stand-in for Levinson, who draws from real-life experiences while writing Euphoria, and that fans will get to see a sense of hope for the character in spite of the "extreme low" that awaits. Given that Rue kicks off Euphoria season 2 by indulging in more drugs with new character Elliot (Dominic Fike), it seems likely she will continue to struggle with addiction. A trailer for upcoming Euphoria episodes shows Elliot running into Rue and Jules at school, potentially putting another wedge between Rue and Jules' relationship.

Since Zandaya promised Rue's rock bottom arrives in the middle of season 2, there's reason to hope her character emerges in a better place on the other end of the eight-episode season that awaits. According to Warner Media, Euphoria opened to a series-high 2.4 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max on Jan. 9, making the controversial teen drama more popular than ever in 2022. Although Rue confesses her season one relapse to Jules when the pair reunite in the most recent episode, it seems her newfound interest in Elliot will keep Jules suspicious of Rue's ability to get (and stay) sober throughout the upcoming episodes. What role Elliot will play in the rest of the season remains to be seen, but given his immediate impact on Rue, it's doubtful he will lend a helping hand in Rue's path out of that dark place.

Next: Every Upcoming Sydney Sweeney Movie & TV Show

Source: RadioTimes.com



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

CBS' Ghosts: Every Main Ghost Time Period & Backstory Explained

One of CBS' newest sitcoms,  Ghosts , features a cast full of spectral characters that each hail from a distinct time period and come with their own unique backstory and death. Though each of the eight ghosts has a wildly different perspective based on their different experiences throughout history, they nonetheless form a sort of family, which is one of the show's greatest charms. After all, being stuck with the same people for all of eternity allows for plenty of time to get to know each other. Ghosts , which is an adaptation of a BBC show of the same name, stars Utkarsh Ambudkar and Rose McIver (who played Liv Moore on five seasons of  iZombie ) as Jay and Sam, a young couple who inherit a mansion in upstate New York. To their surprise, however, the house also comes with several ghostly inhabitants, who Sam is able to see after a near-death experience. These are Thorfinn (Devan Long), Sasappis (Román Zaragoza), Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones), Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky...

Every Actress Who Played Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Ranked

Author  Agatha Christie 's Miss Marple is one of the most iconic and celebrated literary sleuths of all time. The amateur investigator was first introduced in the 1930 novel Murder at the Vicarage , appearing in 11 subsequent novels up until 1976. The character has been portrayed on the stage, on radio, and for our purposes, on the big and small screen several times since the character's screen debut in 1961. Over the past 60 years, Miss Marple has been portrayed by several actresses, many of whom hail from different parts of the world. To see who did Miss Marple the most justice on screen, scroll below. Updated July 21st, 2022 by George Chrysostomou:  Agatha Christie's works are still influencing the industry today and Miss Marple is among her most famous creations. With the Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion , taking the audience back to the genre, it's well worth checking out these classic portrayals of one of the best detectives out there featuring some fantastic Mis...

Horizon Forbidden West: 10 Best Quotes From The Game

WARNING: Major SPOILERS for Horizon Forbidden West discussed in this article. Upon its release on February 28, 2022, the massive open-world single-player video game Horizon Forbidden West continues to pick up steam among avid and casual gamers alike. The story continues the epic quest of Aloy to save humanity from global extinction, traversing a sprawling post-apocalyptic western United States to carry out a series of missions. RELATED: Horizon Forbidden West - Aloy's 10 Best Weapon Types Ranked From Worst To Best The cinematic nature of the game makes for a series of engaging monologues, quips, quotes, and important dialogues that advance the plot while also revealing something about the main characters. Whether it's Aloy, Varl, Reglla, or others, the most memorable quotes stand out for a reason. In a badass mission statement that immediately establishes who is boss and what her clear objectives are early in the content-rich open-world game , Aloy's heartfelt vow to ...