It wasn’t too long ago that Zendaya and the rest of the cast of Euphoria were taking the world by storm with the HBO series that debuted in 2019. From the soundtrack and the in-depth focus on each of the high school characters to the cinematography and plot – Euhporia’s six Emmy nominations are definitely well-deserved.
While Euphoria went viral on TikTok and Instagram for the insanely creative makeup looks that the actors wore, the series’ story is actually very far from glitz and glam. Euphoria follows the journey of 17-year-old Rue (Zendaya,) as she battles drug addiction, sobriety, navigating through life, and her sexuality.
Rue, Jules, Cassie, Maddy, Kat, and Nate’s stories are portrayed in each episode displaying the raw realness of what high school can *really* be like, especially for Gen Z.
Just in time before the second season of the hit show airs on 10 January, William Mullally, Digital Editor at Esquire Middle East, and Zendaya, discuss the actress’ initial thoughts when she took on the role of Rue.
“I think the choice to do this show wasn’t really a choice. I just felt like I had to do it. I felt very connected and emotionally invested in Rue, and the characters. When I met Sam, I immediately was drawn to the story that he was telling and how honest it was because I think Rue is a version of himself, and his experience with addiction.
I thought it was a beautiful story. It wasn’t a decision of like, oh, is this the right thing to do? Or, is somebody going to think this way of me? All those preconceived notions about what I was supposed to do just kind of went out the window because I was really just focused on what emotionally felt like the right decision and the right move. I felt like if I was going to do something as beautiful as this, there was no better home than HBO to do that.”
When asked if she considered her existing fanbase before jumping into new material such as Euphoria, Zendaya says she’s “grateful” for the people who have followed her throughout her career. “For a lot of people, Rue was a version of themselves, whether it be their sobriety journey, or their mental health journey, whatever the case may be, and I think so many people connected to that, and I became the catalyst to connecting those two people.”
Although many Gen Z-ers remember Zendaya from her Disney days in Shake It Up, the award-winning 25-year-old has grown since then, as has her fanbase. We can’t wait to see her as Rue once again in a couple of days.
You can watch Euphoria season 2 on OSN, 10 January, at 22:00 pm.
Interview by William Mullally, Digital Editor at Esquire Middle East.