Euphoria star Zendaya took on the role of executive producer in the second season of the HBO drama series, bringing her out of her shell not only as an actor but also behind the camera. The second season of the Sam Levinson-created show, which scored 16 Emmy nominations this year, including one for Zendaya’s acting, came with its own set of challenges that went well beyond the parameters of COVID. Zendaya talks to THR about why she wanted to be an executive producer (she already did it during season one, with no official title), why the ending changed, and what she hopes to see in season three.
Congratulations on the Emmy noms of the show! Where were you when you found out?
I was shooting in Boston and then I took some time in New York to relax before Budapest [to shoot Dune: Part Two]. I got a nice call from my mom looking at it, and also from Sam, which is funny because that’s how it happened the first time.
This season you were also executive producer. How did that conversation start and why did you want to take on such a bigger role?
In the first season I already did it without having the title. Sam gave me the space to be creative and learn, and so when it came to the second season – and the mid-season too [special] episodes – it just felt like the right thing to have it in a more official capacity. The show has allowed me to come out of my shell as an actress, but also behind the camera, in a place where there are no bad ideas and you feel safe enough to speak up and say, “Hey, what if we tried this?” Personally, I’m very self-critical, but I’m also very shy at times, so I won’t say anything. [But here], I get my own responsibilities. I’m there every step of the way, even while editing, and that’s really special. You don’t normally get that kind of hands-on experience, and everyone is different in how they choose to produce. It is a labor of love for all of us.
How cooperative are you in working out the stories for the characters, especially Rue’s?
It’s super collaborative. This season had so many reruns because it was so long ago [since season one]. Due to quarantine, [with the in-between episodes,] we were like, “We want to make something, and we can revisit these characters,” and we felt like there were a lot of stories that we couldn’t tell. So we did, and from there it opened up a whole new way of looking at it Euphoria. Just the way those episodes moved, we were able to give a little more time and [get] a little more into the characters. When the second season came, I think we were kind of influenced by that. But we also had conversations about Rue, and it’s changed a million times. I’ve talked about how the end of the season should have been very different. Sam and I spoke on the phone after doing part of episode five, and we both felt what we needed – what we felt needed a lot of people in the world, or at least everyone associated with Rue. – was a hopeful ending. We needed something positive to hold onto in this Euphoria universe, and it was important to find a way to bring it back to love, forgiveness and friendship and end the season with this hopeful tone that she was finally ready to begin her sobriety journey and for the first to choose for himself. That was a big change and it happened halfway through the season.
What was a goal or theme that you wanted to explore this season as you produced it?
It wasn’t our original intention to go, “We need a hopeful show.” We went into the season and just wanted to tell really thoughtful stories, and there was always this “Rue-run” episode, as we always called it, that existed in all versions of the season. I was dreading the episode, to be honest, because I felt it was such an undertaking. I wanted to do it justice because it will be very painful to watch. I think that’s why Rue isn’t super prominent even in the beginning of the first few episodes. Because at the time of those first few episodes, she’s just trying to skate by, like she’s a functional addict. She doesn’t want people to notice her because [if] if they notice her, they would know something is wrong. We were cool with that because we knew episode five was coming, which would be the moment when it all came to a head in a really painful way. Originally, we knew it was going to be rock bottom, but I don’t know if we knew she was ready to take the step to change. Because from what I’ve learned and from talking to Sam, dealing with addiction is different for everyone. Maybe your sobriety journey starts or it starts often, but it’s different for everyone. Sometimes, for a family that has to deal with that, you can do anything in the world, but it’s really up to the person to make that decision for themselves. We found that it was really nice that Lexi’s playing inspires her – the idea that art can save a life. Rue was able to see herself and not hate herself. For a moment I think she might find it worth seeking forgiveness, and that moment is cemented when you see her get up and walk away from Jules for the first time, which is a very difficult decision for her to make. That moment when you say, “I love you, but I can’t do this right now.” That was a big step for Rue, and it shows that there is a real change going on in her.
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What was the most challenging episode from a production standpoint?
I think episode five. The good thing about it was that it was one of the episodes that didn’t change that much, so I had a little more time to come to terms with, like, “Okay, I’ll have to do it.” It was like taking a band-aid off. It’s funny: the day I left for the Venice Film Festival was the day we played the Jolly Rancher scene, and then I came home from the Dune press tour, it was the day I did the intervention scene. I’m actually glad something else happened in my life at that time because it forced me not to berate myself. I just landed and I was like, “I don’t know what time zone I’m in, but we’ll jump right in!”
From the producer’s point of view, the more difficult part came with the ending because of the set pieces and figuring out how to film this and find the real life story mixed with the fantasy and also memories. Sometimes we thought to ourselves, “Is this really the play? Is it a reflection of what all the characters want to see or what they take literally?” Then try to figure out the transitions between literal set pieces and how it will flow into everyone’s story and make sure that every character had an emotional connection in this piece, while also mixing it with all their memories – finding a way to make all of that logical was crazy. There were also times when our airdate got pushed back. I literally had to go to Sam’s house on the weekend to motivate him to write a scene that we were going to shoot that week. It was hard to figure out a way to sort it out in hope and that new idea, because the whole thing in our heads changed from where we thought we’d land. It turned out really nice in the end. It was definitely touch-and-go there for a while. We’re like “How are we going to make sense of this?” Because it makes sense in my head, but I can’t sit here and explain this to everyone watching the episode. It has to be digestible and you have to have the heart and the emotionality of it. understand.
What do you hope to see as a producer and actor in season three?
I think it will be exciting to explore the characters beyond high school. I want to see what Rue looks like in her sobriety journey, how chaotic that could look. But also with all the characters, in the sense that they are trying to figure out what to do with their lives when high school is over and what kind of people they want to be. The special thing about this season was that we were allowed to dive in [the other characters] in a much deeper sense. I think we can do that again with the third season. There’s so much talent out there, you want to make sure everyone gets the chance to get it.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
This story first appeared in a standalone August issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.