‘Euphoria’ brought in Zendaya and turned her into a struggling teen from a Disney princess. How would things work out for Zendaya’s Rue at the end of ‘Euphoria’? Zendaya has the answer!
‘Euphoria‘ has given us a lot more than what we had initially hoped for. The gritty glittery world of the East Highland is deep, shadowy, and complex. The complexity of the characters, however, did not just get us. The ‘Euphoria’ cast has always been open about the social and personal impact of their roles. But there’s one more thing that ‘Euphoria’ has offered oh so generously –Rue. ‘Euphoria’ star, Zendaya, is passionate about her character, Rue, and has already come up with how things should end for her.
Highlights —
- Rue is more than just a character for Zendaya
- Rue is born out of Zendaya and Levinson
- Zendaya has a vision for Rue
Rue is more than just a character for Zendaya
Diving headfirst into ‘Euphoria’, we get lost in the brilliant but complex mind of Rue. Since most of the HBO drama is narrated from Rue’s perspective, we see the complexities of the world she lives in, from her mind. Not to forget, she is a teenager struggling with drug addiction and keeping up with the idiosyncrasies of East Highland. Most definitely, then, Rue’s development as a character isn’t the simplest of all, and to pull that off should take an immense amount of talent. So, when the task was appointed to Disney actress, Zendaya, people were a little skeptical. As it turns out, the Emmy winning actress does not just fit the costume but was meant for the role. Zendaya is not just dedicated to Rue, she is passionate about her for Rue is more than just a character.

Zendaya has admitted to finding her home base in Rue. Rue comes across like a little sister to her in many ways. Understandably, Zendaya has an idea, hope, and a vision to where ‘Euphoria’ would take Rue in the end. So, if you have been fearing for Rue’s life after the shocking season 1 finale, we have the inside bit. Rue is alive and, hopefully, has bigger things stored for her future and we don’t expect anything otherwise.
Rue is born out of Zendaya and Levinson
Directed and written by Sam Levinson for HBO, ‘Euphoria’ bases 17-year-old Rue on Levinson himself. Zendaya believed it would be the best for ‘Euphoria’ to inject a little of her and a little of Levinson into the character of Rue because originality is what matters in the end. In fact, some imagination and some originality infused in the character’s choices are what make it relatable and real.
Zendaya told “Collider“,
“It grew from being [Sam] to being a little bit of me, to becoming who Rue is. Now, she’s a person of her own. There were little things, here and there, that slowly starts to turn into their own thing. She has this innocence that we found, as we went along. There’s a little baby quality to her. You just want to love and protect her. It’s like, ‘Oh, you little teenie thing. You’re so innocent and you don’t know’. But she’s also just fuckin’ nuts, and does this horrible shit and ruins people, while she’s this sweet, innocent thing. It was about trying to find that balance. The first time I read the script, I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, she’s so sweet and innocent and cute’. That’s something that we found in her, as she grew up”.
Zendaya has a vision for Rue
The complexity of Rue cannot be swept aside whatsoever. She is complex, vulnerable, and volatile. However, it’s not just us keeping awake at the thought of Rue being in a tight spot, but Zendaya too worries for her character. However, Zendaya believed it with her heart and soul that Rue would work things out at the end of ‘Euphoria’. Her belief mostly stems from the fact that since Rue is based on Levinson, and Levinson figured it all out, two plus two equals four. In fact, she admits that Levinson turning out all right is the only thing that gets her through the stress.
She told “Collider”,
“The only thing that gets me through is knowing that Sam is who he is now, and has a wonderful, beautiful family. That’s gonna be Rue. So, in my head, Rue is gonna grow up and become a writer and director, and she’s gonna have a family. That’s what I hold onto. No matter what she goes through, this is the out product, so she’s gonna be all right. That gets me through”.
Fingers crossed princess, fingers crossed! How do you think things will end for Rue? Let us know in the comments below!
