Zendaya has spoken out over criticism regarding Euphoria’s portrayal of teen drug use, notably with her character Rue.
The HBO series has shown the character’s struggle with addiction throughout its run, notably in this week’s episode ‘Stand Still Like The Hummingbird.’
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program recently argued that the show has chosen to “misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict” high school student drug use.
“It’s unfortunate that HBO, social media, television program viewers, and paid advertising have chosen to refer to the show as ‘groundbreaking,’ rather than recognizing the potential negative consequences on school-age children who today face unparalleled risks and mental health challenges,” the organization said in a statement.
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, the star opened up about its criticism regarding substance use. “Our show is in no way a moral tale to teach people how to live their life or what they should be doing.”
“If anything, the feeling behind Euphoria, or whatever we have always been trying to do with it, is to hopefully help people feel a little bit less alone in their experience and their pain,” she said.
The actress went on to address how Rue’s addiction journey is familiar to those who know the struggles and will shape her character going forward.
“We can’t leave her here,” she continued. “It’s really important that there’s light at the end of the tunnel for her because I think she has a lot of beauty inside her. Whether or not she quite sees that yet. is her own thing.”
Referring to the latest episode itself, Zendaya said her biggest hope “is that people are able to connect to it and those who need to heal and grow with Rue hopefully, by the end of this season, feel that hope and feel that change in her.”
Euphoria was recently approved for a third season after season two was confirmed to be watched by twice as many people as the first season, moving from an average of 6.6 million to 13.1 million viewers.
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