Playing a fictional character as complex and challenging as Rue Bennett on Euphoria hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park for Zendaya.

If you’re curious to know whether or not she relates to the tragic character she plays on the beloved show, we’ve got your answer.

Here’s what Zendaya has openly said about her time playing Rue for the HBO Max hit.

Zendaya‘s opinions on Rue Bennett

The first two seasons of Euphoria were incredible to watch. Season One was arguably much better than Season Two.

Still, there was a lot of excitement and enjoyment that came along with watching each new episode of Euphoria as they hit HBO Max week after week.

Now, fans are eagerly awaiting Season Three, but production won’t be starting until 2025, unfortunately.

In the meantime, Zendaya has been quite vocal about her time playing Rue.

According to Elle, Zendaya said, “Euphoria deals with internal pain and internal darkness which I think is maybe the most painful kind. This is not a show that is in any way telling anyone how to live their life, but it’s a means of storytelling to help someone else feel less alone in their experience and their pain and darkness, to know that they’re not the only person dealing with it. This season, for us, was testing our empathy as human beings. We love and care about Rue, and if we can meet her at her darkest points and still love her and care for her after that, maybe we can extend that to people in real life and have the same empathy for people battling with addiction in the real world.”

Ultimately, Zendaya isn’t someone who has personally experienced addiction in real life, but playing a character like Rue has opened her eyes to the depths of darkness that addiction can create in someone’s lifetime.

What are your thoughts on the way Zendaya describes Rue as a character in Euphoria?

Are you missing Euphoria right now as you wait for Season Three? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.