‘Euphoria’ creator says Zendaya had 'very emotional reaction' to Rue's death

Sam Levinson said Zendaya had "a very emotional reaction" when he told her that her character Rue Bennett would die in the Season 3 finale. He called Zendaya "a gifted actor" and said Rue "wouldn't be as charming and lovable and humorous" if played by someone else, adding that their conversation about the ending was "tough" but that "at the end of the day, she understood what I was doing." In the finale, Rue suffers an accidental overdose after taking fentanyl-laced pills given to her by crime lord Alamo Brown.

Levinson said the manner of Rue’s death was chosen to honor late co-star Angus Cloud, who died from an accidental fentanyl overdose in July 2023 at the age of 25. Levinson also praised Colman Domingo’s performance as Ali Muhammad, calling him a "grounding force" for Zendaya and saying the cast’s long collaboration helped the sequence feel "authentic and meaningful." He described shooting those scenes as "a beautiful couple of days," noting their awareness of how audiences would respond.

zendaya, rue bennett, sam levinson, euphoria, season 3, finale, fentanyl, overdose, angus cloud, colman domingo