Zendaya, Nika King, Hunter Schafer, and Storm Reid break down the heart-wrenching argument that breaks out in the standout fifth episode of Season 2.
When it ’s not bank upoutrageous , meme - able moment , Euphoriais an unflinching looking at at teen addiction . The enactment of substance abuse in the HBO series from Sam Levinson has only sire darker in Season 2 , which culminate in a difficult intercession in Episode 5 , " place upright Still Like the Hummingbird . "
Even though Zendaya ’s type Rue has convinced herself she ’s never been happier — get quick relief by using narcotics and in the end being in a relationship with Jules ( Hunter Schafer)—she ’s start out to coil out of ascendance ever sinceshe relapsed in the Season 1 close . She ’s get it in her brain that dealing is a near idea ; she ’s hanging out with enablers , lying to loved ones , and none of it is helping her grieve her Padre ’s death . In the 5th sequence , Rue is finally storm to confront her actions when Elliot ( Dominic Fike ) and Jules severalize her family that she ’s been using again . It ’s one of the most brawny installments in the season , with Zendaya and Nika King ( who plays Rue ’s female parent , Leslie ) hold their all , as they go head - to - head for an extended sequence .
While Leslie tries to understand and reckon with Rue and get the her the help she necessitate , she realize her daughter is losing herself to her addiction . Then , once Leslie lastly gets her to gibe to come with her and her sister , Gia ( Storm Reid ) , to get ascertain into in - patient role care , Rue jumps out of the car in the middle of dealings and set off across town in a runaway attack that results in disaster — from running - ins with constabulary enforcement to revealing to Maddy that Cassie ’s been sleep with Nate . It ’s as nerve-racking an episode ofEuphoriaas any , but in all probability the one this time of year that gets Zendaya her second Emmy nomination for the series , as her stark naked portrait of a adolescent junky has never been more heart - wrenching . Below , the cast breaks down how the standout installment come together .
Zendaya|Eddy Chen/HBO
Thrillist : In the first season , there ’s a alike conniption with a encounter between Rue and Leslie that was wholly improvised . Was the view in Episode 5 also improvised?Nika King : We always have an opportunity to improv and advert lib . That ’s the great thing about being on set with Sam [ Levinson ] . He ’s not so immobile with the book because he understands that we ’re passionate and there are travel to be things that we say and do that ’s not on the varlet . Some of those moments are improved . The great thing is I cartel Zendaya , I hope Stormy , and we desire each other , and it ’s likehey , if you go there , let ’s go there . I got you .
Literally after every take we ’re like , " Are you good ? Are you body?“We’re check in . We ’re not just flying off the handles . This is still acting — let ’s keep it actual . You ca n’t mess with the billion one dollar bill babe ! You sense me ? You fix to ensure that if you ’re handling her , you ’re keeping true and authentic to the lineament .
Zendaya : It was different from the first time of year , [ though ] . In the first time of year , we had a hallway fighting where [ Sam Levinson ] was like , " Just go campaign each other , " and that ’s what happened . This one , the structure of this sequence was one that was written quite a farseeing time ago . It ’s been around for a yoke of years , and I [ was ] strain about it for so long because I knew that the sidereal day would come where I would have to do it .
Nika King|Eddy Chen/HBO
I understand the shoot of this episode ran over a couple days , but the snapshot of the combat between Rue and Leslie itself looks continuous . Was it shoot in one long sequence?Storm Reid : I think a lot of was continuous . Sam does wish to be continuous , especially with those type of scenes where we go at it and it ’s one matter . I believe parts of it were chopped up a little bit , but I think he really said " action " and we did what we need to do [ laugh ] .
King : Until it was time to recharge the camera ! We went all the elbow room until it was like , " Reload ! " It was handheld so [ the cinematographer ] Marcell [ Rév ] was aright there in the middle of us and , of course , we ’re in that room , so find areas where he can tuck in and not be realize with the camera and mics and everything . It was like a dance . We were always in this dance of like , " Be free to move around and fuddle matter and do whatever you need to do , " but of trend we still have to catch . To do that is not wanton and there has to be a level of trust . When I evidence you this cast is very tight with each other and understanding each other ’s talent and abide by each other , it ’s beautiful . It really is .
Zendaya , you were anxious about filming the scene for a longsighted time . What was it like when you finally snap it?Zendaya:[Filming the scene ] was shivery for me . It ’s one of those episodes where it ’s painful to anybody who not only care about the reference , but it ’s just painful to watch , [ the crinkle are ] unspeakable to say — it ’s not something I peculiarly enjoyed doing to people that I deeply care about . I ’m very thankful that I did it with these mass because I know that I was in safe hands , I know that I was in a situation of love life and I find that they felt that , too , so that when the ugliness came out , they know who was still in there . It ’s heartbreaking .
Storm Reid|Eddy Chen/HBO
How do you ready for such an intense , emotionally wearing view like that , and then come in out of it?Zendaya : Even though the preparation was almost geezerhood of hold off to do this episode — like I knew it was coming and did my homework influence earlier — I tried to distance myself from it as much as I could , so that I would n’t psych myself out . I do that : I get in my head and then I ca n’t just lease go , and you ca n’t really ca n’t have any veneration when you do a scene like that . You just have to countenance yourself go in that room .
We shot the whole run [ of that scene ] for a few days , but I literally got off a plane from Venice forDune , so the running play jocularity was I wait quite dissimilar from when I got off a red rug to where I was in that hallway . I just did n’t give myself fourth dimension to think about it too much , which I guess is a right matter , and we just dove correctly in the deep end .
Like I articulate , I have a spate of living guard . I have a lot of people who have my back and I feel very much defend , and [ laughs ] I know I ’m not the only one cry . I ’m not the only one in pain . We ’re all kind of going through it together [ on the set ofEuphoria ] , which was helpful to say the least . Our literally crew will scream with me . It ’s groovy , but it ’s because I feel that and they ’re pass through it with me .
It ’s just as devastating to watch Leslie and Gia in the scene . What do you cerebrate they ’re going through?King : For me , when I was crafting these here and now , I think Leslie is really , reallytrying to get Rue to see who she is becoming . She ’s young and she ’s still make grow , but it ’s like , " You have to take responsibility for your action , and what you ’re doing properly now is not contemplative of a good person . " Of naturally , Rue is going to go lower . I think it ’s like , " If you go here , Rue is going to go here . " That ’s just where her mind is right now . She does n’t need to take accountability . She wants to be the dupe — I think she kind of lie in the victim space . Unfortunately , if you ’re living your spirit as a victim , you ’re go to always have things happen to you as opposed to you creating the liveliness and the world that you desire .
Reid : I mean Gia is going through everything . She is going through that pain that we get word in Season 1 of her not being able to mend the situation , being helpless . She , of path , does n’t like her mom and her sibling fighting — these are the closest mass to her . I think she ’s missing the presence of her male parent , which even though she was young , she thinks would be different if he was there . There are a fortune of things that I think she goes through in those moment of being silent and quiet . She ’s ache . She ’s in a lot of pain .
This season , when I was on set and I would step into Gia horseshoe , a lot of it for her was a daze . She ’s there , but she ’s notreallythere . She ’s there because she has to be there — this is the house that she hold up in and this is the state of affairs that she was face , but her mind is always somewhere else because she would rather be in a dissimilar situation than she is currently in those moments .
Jules and Elliot are also in the room over , and Rue eventually flog out at them , too . It ’s especially disconcerting since viewer cognize fromJules ' specialthat she ’s is the child of an addict . Given that Rue is unaware of that about Jules , do you conceive that will that factor into the serial publication and their relationship eventually?Hunter Schafer : I think it could potentially , but I imagine before that could ever happen Rue and Jules need to be upfront with each other about what ’s happeningright there — the first level between what ’s happening with them , which they are still ineffectual to do to some level . I opine those kind of detail could become a part of a conversation that would happen after some sort of emotional breakthrough between the two , which would be cool .
What did you ultimately attempt to portray in the episode and that tantrum in particular?Zendaya : What I retrieve the substance that really gets across is addiction is not something that only pretend the person who is dealing with dependance , it regard the entire family , it affects your friendships , your enjoy ones — those that you care about . Everyone becomes a victim to it , and I think it ’s crucial to recognise that and to show that it affects hoi polloi deeply than you really understand . There ’s no right-hand way to deal with a situation like that . The right affair feels wrong , the wrong thing feels right . It ’s extremely complex and it is different for everyone
I know that , for me at least , it was super emotional [ to get that across ] , but like I said , I ’m thankful to the crew , I ’m grateful to our team of people that I had beleaguer me because it was n’t the sluttish however many day of body of work it was . So , I value everyone bearing with me with that .
I have a little brainstorm into where Rue is going , but hopefully that is rock bottom and hopefully that there is a Leslie Townes Hope and a hope of something beautiful , if she would just have that in and feel that she ’s worthy of it .
This interview has been edited and condense for clarity .
