Zendaya opened up about some of her toughest work playing a drug addict in “Euphoria,” particularly in Season 2 when her character Rue seemed to hit rock bottom.

“One of the greatest honors about being able to play her is every story that I have now gained when people come to me and they share their stories of sobriety. It’s so beautiful to me every single time, and I think I take on those stories with me and they become part of who each time I play her,” the Emmy winner said on Wednesday night at an FYC Emmy event for the HBO series at the Academy Museum.

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Choking back tears, Zendaya continued, “I get very emotional about I because I care about her a lot because she represents a lot of people that need a lot of love. And she represents part of myself, and she represents part of [‘Euphoria’ creator] Sam [Levinson]. That that means a lot to me, and I just want people to be able to heal through her.”

Earlier in the night on the carpet, Zendaya talked to me about Rue’s rollercoaster storyline. “We carried her all the way to hopefully what is rock bottom and a dark moment, and hopefully by the end leave with a sense of happiness and joy that there is hope for her in the end,” she said.

She admitted certain scenes, especially when Rue lashes out her mother and sister, are “not easy” to shoot, but the cast and crew helped her get through them. “I felt very safe,” Zendaya said. “I think that safety and that love that I received from my crew made up for the more painful moments that we had to go through. I felt like we were going through it together.”

Jacob Elordi, who plays Nate, talked about trying to decompress after a day of filming the show. He said he loves watching cartoons and “shitty TV.”

Although Elordi said he doesn’t know how many seasons are being planned for the show, he joked he’d like to see Nate “come of age” sooner than later. “I think I’m getting old,” the 24-year-old Aussie actor said. “I fear that I’m growing too old for high school.”

Of Nate’s future. Elordi said, “Maybe he has a farm. Maybe he just leaves it all behind and starts making his own goods – like hemp!”

“Euphoria” spinoff, anyone?

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