Zendaya discusses how they filmed Rue's emotional breakdown from Euphoria season 2, episode 5, "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird." In addition to starring in massive blockbusters like Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic Dune and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man: No Way Home, Zendaya has also been pouring her heart and soul into Sam Levinson's popular drama for the past few years. The series centers on Rue Bennett, a recovering teenage drug addict who is fresh out of rehab and struggling to find her place in the world.
Emmy Award winner Zendaya leads the Euphoria cast as Rue alongside a massive ensemble that includes Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Colman Domingo, Javon Walton, Austin Abrams, and Dominic Fike. Euphoria finished airing another successful season earlier this year, which reached Game of Thrones-level popularity on HBO. The show is also frequently lauded by critics for its impressive cinematography, performances, and relentlessly explicit depiction of drug addiction and other mental health disorders.
Appearing on Variety's Actors on Actors series across from her Spider-Man: No Way Home co-star Andrew Garfield, Zendaya discussed how they filmed one of the most emotional sequences from Euphoria — Rue's intense breakdown from season 2, episode 5. The actress talked about how director Sam Levinson shot the sequence using long continuous takes which lasted until the film magazine ran out. Zendaya was also awarded a lot of freedom to improvise during the scene given the "volatility and unpredictability" of her character at that time. Read what she said below:
There was no structure, because there couldn’t be. There had to be a level of volatility and unpredictability to her mood, and where it was going to go. We just started from the beginning and they said, "You can break whenever you want. We’re going to light the whole house. You can go through the whole thing."
Just over and over until we felt like we had it. And then we moved on to the next part, but it was a long day. I’m very protective over Rue. And also, because of all the people that she represents, I know that sometimes maybe the world won’t be as kind to her as I am. And that’s hard for me, you know?
The scene in question occurs during the beginning of Euphoria season 2, episode 5 after Jules informs Rue's mother that her daughter has relapsed, leading Leslie to purge her drug stash. Leslie, Jules, and Elliot also attempt to stage an intervention for Rue, all of which causes her to have a violent breakdown, damage the house, and angrily cut ties with her two friends. Afterward, Rue's mother attempts to take her to rehab again, but the episode only ratchets up the intensity as she flees the car and begins dodging in and out of traffic, leading to a nail-biting chase across town as Rue begins to suffer the effects of withdrawal.
Zendaya's recent comments help provide a window into how Levinson and company go about executing a visceral sequence like Rue's intervention. However, many of the emotional scenes in Euphoria which depict the debilitating reality of drug addiction are undoubtedly made possible by a tour de force performance from Zendaya, and likely would not be possible without the Emmy Award-winning actress. Zendaya will be back for Euphoria season 3, so it will be interesting to see where Rue's story goes next.
Source: Variety