Why Zendaya Says It Was Painful To Play Rue In Season Two Of Euphoria

As the narrator of "Euphoria," the character of Rue is a pretty integral part to the series. While the second season largely centres on the drama unfolding between Cassie and Maddy over Nate, Rue continues to struggle with her own personal demons. For Zendaya, Rue continues to be a character that she "cares about deeply," as the actress shared on Instagram. "It's my hope for people watching that they still see her as a person worthy of their love," she wrote ahead of a Rue-centric episode in season two, where she experiences an intervention.

She added that if viewers can "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." And as much Zendaya is proud for portraying Rue in such vulnerable moments, the actress also found it incredibly painful too.

Prior to the Season two premiere, Zendaya spoke with Radio Times about what viewers could expect from the show in its second inning. "This season, more specifically, she goes to the rock bottom," the actress explained. "When we get midway through, that's when rock bottom hits, and that's where it becomes extremely painful for all of us to watch. And to portray her going through it hurt me."

And as low as Rue may be in the season, Zendaya hopes that she has a brighter future ahead of her. Speaking about how Rue is based somewhat on the experiences of "Euphoria"s showrunner Sam Levinson, Zendaya explained how she "always felt Rue would be okay" because "Sam is who he is, and was able to take all the pain [in his own life from when he was a drug addict] and turn it into this beautiful television show."

Zendaya carried this sentiment on in an interview with The Cut, teasing that there will be a "sense of redemption" for Rue in episode eight. "That you aren't the worst thing you've ever done in your life," she continued. "I think Rue deserves it, and I think anyone who suffers with the same thing she does deserve it."