Did Zendaya’s intense Euphoria performance had people worried? (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Zendaya is no stranger to heavy scenes on Euphoria. But one episode in Season 2 had fans seriously worried. So much so that many reached out to see if she was okay. The episode in question was episode 5, “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird.” The one where Rue’s life falls apart—fast.
Rue spends the whole episode running. From friends. From family. From herself. It’s the moment where her addiction hits rock bottom. And it wasn’t easy for Zendaya to film either.
In an interview with Variety, Zendaya opened up about how hard that episode was. “It’s tough,” she said. “And I thought what was actually quite sweet was when that episode did air, I did get a lot of messages from people checking in on me, which I appreciate.”
And honestly, it’s not surprising. Fans saw Rue yell at her mom. She fights with Jules. She runs into traffic. She nearly gets caught by the police. At one point, she even hides in a drug dealer’s house. The tension was off the charts. Zendaya said filming that chaos was exhausting. Both physically and emotionally. She even had a name for it—“The Rue Run.” But how did she handle something so intense?
Zendaya said she wanted to make Rue feel real. Just the painful truth. “The approach was to try it as human as possible,” she said. “Without ever shying away from the devastation.” And get this—there wasn’t a strict script for the big fight between Rue and her mom. Zendaya explained they let the scene flow naturally. “There was no structure, because there couldn’t be,” the Hollywood actress asserted.
The crew lit the entire house. Zendaya could move wherever she wanted. She could “break” at any moment. Total freedom to let Rue’s emotions explode.
That raw energy is part of what made the episode hit so hard. Zendaya said playing Rue has helped her understand the character deeply. She doesn’t follow a method to get into Rue’s mindset. But after two seasons, she knows exactly how Rue would react in those moments.
Fans praised Zendaya’s performance online. Many said she deserved every award for that episode alone. And honestly, they’re not wrong. She already has two Primetime Emmys for Euphoria. This episode shows why. Still, it’s good to know Zendaya took care of herself. That kind of role could take a serious toll. But she assured fans she was fine.
