Zendaya left physically scarred by excruciating Euphoria intervention scene: ‘I beat myself up’
Zendaya ended up with bruises while filming Euphoria (HBO/Instagram)
Euphoria star Zendaya has revealed she is still carrying injuries from her time shooting Rue’s “physically taxing” intervention scene.
The Emmy-winning actress all but secured herself another big award win as she was seen breaking down doors and jumping out of windows during a day from hell for her character, Rue.
The Euphoria episode, titled “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird”, has been described as “Rue on the run” by fans as the character created a whirlwind of chaos after discovering her mother got rid of her precious stash of drugs.
Reflecting on the “tough” opening scene which saw her battering down a door, Zendaya told Entertainment Weekly: “It was a very tough day. I mean, I beat myself up. I still have some scars on my legs and got quite a few bruises.”
Zendaya on Instagram Stories, “Still got this damn scar from that damn door lol.” pic.twitter.com/doqEMkdTaI
— Zendaya Updates (@Zendaya_Updated) February 7, 2022
The Euphoria star even posted a picture of the scar on her calf after the episode aired as fans praised her dedication to showcasing the effects of withdrawal.
Opening up further in her EW interview, The Greatest Showman star added: “It’s always been a really intense episode.
“The general idea was always the same, which was this idea of, we cut right into an intervention and it’s Rue just ripping her life apart and setting her life on fire and kind of tearing everything to the ground to basically come to hopefully what feels like rock bottom for her.”
The actress revealed the filming for the episode took place over several weeks and began just after the premiere of her film Dune at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.
Discussing the intense change of pace, Zendaya explained: “It was so intense and scary to tackle, and obviously something that would be incredibly emotionally taxing, but also physically taxing. Also, I care about Rue and I hate when she’s in pain.
Zendaya as Rue in Euphoria (HBO)
“I think this whole episode, there’s so much pain and it’s bubbling to the surface, and it’s also crossed with her withdrawing, which is extremely physically painful.”
The critically-acclaimed episode saw Rue’s mother confront her about her drug use, and reveal that she’d flushed $10,000 worth of drugs, which Rue was meant to sell for a chilling and monotonous drug lord.
Rue spat venom at both her mother and sister while tearing their home apart in search of the suitcase of drugs, before she eventually stopped in her tracks by the sound of her girlfriend Jules‘ voice coming from the kitchen.
After a blistering verbal attack on her partner, Rue was coerced into her mother’s car under the guise they would go to the hospital.
When Rue realised that she was being taken to rehab, she literally jumped out of the car and began running around her town – destroying her relationships with everyone who cared about her with each stop.
Zendaya easily clinched her second Emmy nomination in just the first 10 minutes of tonight's #Euphoria pic.twitter.com/hCm8UEboWx— Avery Thompson (@avery__thompson) February 7, 2022
She ended up turning to drug dealer Laurie, who used to moment to prey on the vulnerable teen and convince her to inject morphine to help ease the pain of withdrawal.
The next morning, Rue managed to escape from Laurie’s apartment and make her way home to her mother.
Viewers across the globe agreed that Zendaya gave the performance of her life in the gripping episode.
