Zendaya Says She 'Didn't Have To Go Searching' To Find Rue's Character In 'Euphoria:' 'She Lives In Me, In A Way.'
Euphoria has taken the world by storm. This highly stylized depiction of teens struggling with the darker parts of the world we live in - drugs, gender dysphoria, poverty, addiction, and the molotov cocktail that is teenage hormones - has apparently landed on something that resonates with a lot of people, because the viewership for the second season of this HBO hit 3.8 million for the premiere - up a literal half a million from the season before.
So what is it about the show that keeps people hooked? Well, despite the fact that the Euphoria High School has more or less become a meme because of how insane everything going on there is, and how boldly everyone dresses (it's like a more sparkly and more intense Degrassi) - it may be because there is a lot of authenticity and realism going into its creation.
One of those huge points of authenticity is the show's lead, Zendaya, who recently told The Cut that Rue is probably the easiest character for her to play out of anything she's ever done.
"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."
Zendaya also talked about how they changed Rue's arc in the show to make sure they kept the tone hopeful.
"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 fucking hope in this show...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 with the same thing she does deserves it."
We're creeping ever closer to the end of this bombastic season - and that glimmer of hope: The final episode of this season of Euphoria airs on HBO March 27 at 9 PM EST.
