The messy combination of drug
addiction, casual sex and teenage
anxiety are explored in Sky Atlantic’s
new gritty and provocative eight-
part drama Euphoria.
Former Disney Channel star
Zendaya plays the show’s main
character, 17-year-old high-school
student and drug addict Rue
Bennett. Fresh out of rehab, Rue
wastes no time in getting back into
her old habits of drugs and partying.
‘It’s a raw and honest portrayal of
addiction, anxiety and the difficulties
of navigating life,’ explains 22-year-
old Zendaya, who played trapeze
artist Anne Wheeler in The Greatest
Showman and who can currently
be seen in cinemas in new film
Spider-Man: Far from Home.
Adapted from an Israeli series of
the same name, the show also draws
on the experiences of its writer and
creator Sam Levinson (son of Rain
Man director Barry Levinson) and his
personal battles with addiction and
depression. It follows Rue as she
numbs herself with drugs, while
navigating the pitfalls of growing up.
Between bouts of unconsciousness,
she inhabits a dark world peopled by
seriously young drug dealers where
WO
R
D
S:
HANN
A
H
DA
VIES,^ SEAN
MA
RLA
N
D.^ P
H
OTOS:CBS,^ HB
O/S
K
Y,S
K
YZendaya plays a high-school drug
addict in a no-holds-barred drama...
use of drugs, including fentanyl, and
casual sex is prevalent.
‘When I read the script, I fell in love
with it, with Rue and with all of the
characters,’ says Zendaya. ‘I wanted
to know more about them and their
lives. I wanted them to be okay.
‘Rue’s a good person, she just
doesn’t know it. She’s in pain. There’s
something innocent and redeeming
about her that reminds you that she’s
a human first and an addict second.’PUSHING BOUNDARIES
The drama features Judd Apatow’s
daughter, Maude Apatow, as Rue’s
friend, Lexi, and transgender model
Hunter Schafer as new girl Jules. Also
look out for former Grey’s Anatomy
star Eric Dane and Sydney Sweeney
(Eden in The Handmaid’s Tale).
Zendaya admits that the boundary-
pushing series is a far cry from her
Disney days. ‘It’s a scary jump, but
I think it was time for me to do this,’
she says. ‘There’s a lot of people who
think I can’t do it because they don’t
understand my personality. I get it:
I’m a Disney kid. There’s a lot to prove.
I want people to let themselves be
taken on the ride.’NEW DRAMA
Euphoria
Tuesday, Sky Atlantic HD, 10pm
Zendaya
as troubled
Rue BennettTe e n a g e
KICKS
BOX SET
All episodes of Euphoria
will be released as
a box set on Sky Box
Sets and NOW TV on 6 August.Andy got a big promotion! Maggie
was a cop for six years and I
played a cop for six years on a
show, so some of the dynamics
were already there.
‘I said I was never going to do
another procedural, but then
sometimes I’ll
find myself on
set thinking,
“This is exactly
what I want to
be doing.” I’m
not really the
fluffy person.
I like to get down
into it.’
Maggie’s
colleague,
special agent OA
Zidan, was originally written as
a Hispanic character, but was
reimagined when Egypt-born
Zeeko Zaki impressed bosses.
For Zaki, playing a Muslim
lead in a mainstream US show
was a big moment, but he says his
character is more representative
of the modern FBI than many
people might imagine.
‘He’s a Muslim and he speaks
Arabic,’ he explains. ‘That kind of
character hasn’t been on a series
before, so it felt big, but the FBI is
a far more diverse
group of people
these days.’
After proving a
hit, FBI has been
renewed for a
second season.
Meanwhile, Dick
Wolf is turning his
new project into
another franchise,
with a spin-off,
FBI: Most Wanted,
already in the works.
‘It’s great to be doing a show
that really affects people for the
greater good,’ says Peregrym.
‘We’re dealing in things that cause
major fear, but we’re also bringing
a sense of hope.’Jubal
Jeremy Sisto
The nerve centre of
the office, Jubal is
an experienced
assistant special
agent.Omar
Zeeko Zaki
An Arabic-
speaking Muslim,
Omar, or ‘OA’, i s
Maggie’s partner.‘We’re dealing
in things that
cause major fear,
but we’re
bringing hope’
MISSY PEREGRYM