{"id":346742,"date":"2026-06-06T21:42:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=346742"},"modified":"2026-06-06T21:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T16:12:21","slug":"zendayas-rue-nearly-had-a-different-euphoria-ending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/06\/06\/zendayas-rue-nearly-had-a-different-euphoria-ending\/","title":{"rendered":"Zendaya\u2019s Rue Nearly Had A Different \u2018Euphoria\u2019 Ending"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Zendaya<\/strong>\u2018s \u201c<strong>Euphoria<\/strong>\u201d character Rue was not originally meant to satisfy the tragic fate seen within the Season 3 finale, in keeping with show creator Sam Levinson.<\/p>\n<p>Amid debate over several controversial scenes, Levinson has also defended the dark destiny of multiple characters this season.<\/p>\n<p>Although nothing has been officially confirmed, Season 3 appears to mark the tip of the hit HBO series, not only due to the deaths of several lead characters, but in addition because of reports of strained relationships among the many solid.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Top 10 Most Heartbreaking Euphoria Moments\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_leUY2i6Ueo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Fans witnessed Zendaya\u2019s character, Rue Bennett, face a devastating turn within the \u201cEuphoria\u201d Season 3 finale after unknowingly taking painkillers laced with fentanyl.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, Levinson has revealed in a brand new interview with The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/01\/arts\/television\/popcast-euphoria-sam-levinson-interview.html\">Latest York Times<\/a> that this was not at all times the plan.<\/p>\n<p>In line with him, Rue was originally mapped out for a completely different trajectory, however the real-life death of fellow actor Angus Cloud forced him to vary the narrative.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had originally written a special trajectory for the character of Rue. Throughout the writers\u2019 strike, we got the news that Angus passed away,\u201d he said, referring to the 2023 overdose death of Cloud, who played soft-hearted drug dealer Fezco within the series.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d at all times been really concerned in regards to the prevalence of fentanyl. It\u2019s something that we\u2019ve handled over the seasons and even in my first film [Another Happy Day],\u201d he continued. \u201cBut once he passed away, I needed to reconceive the script, and I believed, \u2018you may\u2019t tell a story about addiction today without the very real consequences.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sam-levinson-defends-rue-s-tragic-fate\">Sam Levinson Defends Rue\u2019s Tragic Fate<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">OConnor \/ AFF-USA.com \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Like Rue, the Coroner\u2019s Office confirmed that Cloud\u2019s death was accidental and brought on by acute intoxication because of the combined effects of multiple substances.<\/p>\n<p>Levinson said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/ustv\/a71498760\/euphoria-different-ending-rue-zendaya\/\">the change to Rue\u2019s fate<\/a> felt just like the \u201cresponsible thing to do,\u201d because it highlighted the hazards of drug addiction.<\/p>\n<p>He said, \u201cMost individuals don\u2019t get a second likelihood. Fentanyl can just take you out instantly. It wasn\u2019t like after I was growing up; you could possibly literally take pills off the road, and you would possibly have a nasty trip or something, but you\u2019d be fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is something that hits near home for lots of people on this country. So, it felt just like the responsible thing to do,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Levinson Also Defended Nate\u2019s Brutal Ending<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"euphoria | unfiltered: jacob elordi on nate | HBO\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oyi4ZrphRUw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Rue\u2019s death was not the one character exit Levinson needed to defend within the finale, as he also spoke about Nate Jacobs\u2019 \u201chorrific\u201d death.<\/p>\n<p>Nate, who was deep in debt, was pursued by loan sharks who kidnapped him while attempting to get well money from his wife, Cassie, played by Sydney Sweeney.<\/p>\n<p>In an episode titled \u201cRain or Shine,\u201d Cassie and her friend Maddy scrambled to lift the cash and even enlisted the assistance of crime boss Alamo of their seek for him.<\/p>\n<p>By the point they found where Nate had been taken, it was already too late.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s this sort of funny thing where I do know what the audience wants by way of justice or karma, and with that in mind, I at all times think, \u2018Well, how can I give it to them?&#8217;\u201d Levinson told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/entertainment\/tv\/a71388146\/euphoria-nate-death-sam-levinson\/\">Esquire<\/a>. \u201cHow can I give them what they need, but make it so horrific and anxiety-inducing that by the point it happens, the audience isn\u2019t so sure they wanted it?\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sydney Sweeney\u2019s Cassie Storyline Divided Fans<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"1182\" src=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=1182,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sydney-sweeney-1-788x1182.jpg\" alt=\"Sydney Sweeney at the Los Angeles Premiere of HBO's ''Euphoria'' Season 3\" class=\"wp-image-804475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=1182,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sydney-sweeney-1-788x1182.jpg 788w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=428,height=642,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/sydney-sweeney-1-428x642.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> ZUMAPRESS.com \/ MEGA <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All season long, \u201cEuphoria\u201d got here under fire from fans over several risqu\u00e9 scenes involving Sweeney\u2019s character after Cassie became an OnlyFans creator.<\/p>\n<p>Some viewers felt the scenes went too far and accused the show of leaning heavily into shock value.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, Sweeney seemingly hit back at critics in a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DZAgyfuES3r\/\">Instagram post<\/a>, where she shared photos from behind the scenes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s called\u2026 acting,\u201d she wrote within the caption in a seemingly pointed message to critics.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sam Levinson Says Sweeney Was \u2018Fearless\u2019<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=534,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Sam_Levinson_Sydney_Sweeney-788x534.jpg\" alt=\"Los Angeles premiere of HBO's 'Euphoria' Season 3 - Arrivals\" class=\"wp-image-802087\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=788,height=534,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Sam_Levinson_Sydney_Sweeney-788x534.jpg 788w, https:\/\/media.theblast.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=428,height=290,fit=crop,quality=75,gravity=auto,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Sam_Levinson_Sydney_Sweeney-428x290.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lumeimages \/ MEGA <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Levinson also praised Sweeney\u2019s work on the series after fans accused him of subjecting her to a \u201chumiliation ritual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During a recent appearance on The Latest York Times\u2019 \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/rip-euphoria-creator-sam-levinson-explains-why-this\/id120315823?i=1000770548447\">Popcast<\/a>\u201d podcast, he praised the actress for the way boldly she approached the controversial scenes throughout the season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe she\u2019s a completely fearless actor. She\u2019s also just splendidly skilled, and shows up just game day-after-day,\u201d he said. \u201cI am keen on working along with her, because there\u2019s such a flexibility by way of the performance.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zendaya\u2018s \u201cEuphoria\u201d character Rue was not originally meant to satisfy the tragic fate seen within the Season 3 finale, in keeping with show creator Sam Levinson. Amid debate over several controversial scenes, Levinson has also defended the dark destiny of multiple characters this season. Although nothing has been officially confirmed, Season 3 appears to mark [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":346743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[337],"tags":[11809,32469,20541],"class_list":["post-346742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-euphoria","tag-rue","tag-zendayas"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346742"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":346745,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346742\/revisions\/346745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/346743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}