Zendaya admitted her role in 'Euphoria' took a toll on her emotions.
Zendaya Says Filming 'Euphoria' Was 'Emotionally' and 'Physically' Draining: 'I Still Have My Rue Scars'
Zendaya got brutally honest about her time on Euphoria.
While sitting down for a discussion with Nicole Kidman, the Challengers star, 28, admitted playing drug addict student Rue on the hit HBO series for two seasons wasn't an easy task.
Zendaya got honest about how difficult it was to play Rue on 'Euphoria.'
"I still have my Rue scars," she told the Babygirl actress, 57, during their sit-down. “I do know that I like to have fun on my job. I don’t want to be miserable just because the character’s miserable. On Euphoria, we’d have really, really tough days. I’m like, ‘OK, got to go cry and knock down a door real quick,’ and then I’ll come back like, ‘Hey, Cheesecake Factory? What are we getting for lunch?’ I try my best to leave them at work and go home and live my life and be a person.”
Despite the mental toughness required to play the role, Zendaya said there were many positive aspects of being part of the series. "While it was emotionally and physically draining, it was so rewarding," she explained. "I was so proud of it. It connected with people.”
Zendaya said she still has her 'Rue scars.'
The series' second installment aired two years ago, but the fate of a third season hangs in the balance. "We’re supposed to do another season," the former Disney Channel star teased. "I’ve only done two, but it feels like five. One season of Euphoria is like, ‘Phew!’"
There's allegedly been tension between Zendaya and the creator of the show, Sam Levinson, after he allegedly claimed filming was delayed due to her busy movie career. "I will say, I have been off for a couple years, so not delayed because of my [schedule]. … I've been open, just waiting," she clarified in a November 2024 interview.
According to a source, 'Euphoria' creator Sam Levinson allegedly claimed the third season was delayed because of Zendaya's filming schedule.
“I haven’t been on a set in, like, two years almost,” the Dune star noted while adding how she questions if she can “even do this anymore.”
In July 2024, a source close to Levinson claimed production is continuing to be delayed because “it was all about [Zendaya]. Everybody wanted to make it about Sam, but it was her.”
'Euphoria' premiered on HBO in 2019.
The negative attitude toward the show's star is vastly different from their close relationship in the previous two seasons of the hit drama. "They were thick as thieves,” the insider said of Zendaya and Levinson. “She found him to be an inspiring director and she knew she was embodying him."
Variety conducted the interview with Zendaya and Kidman.
Variety conducted the November 2024 interview with Zendaya.
The Hollywood Reporter spoke to a source about Levison and Zendaya.