Sam Levinson reveals Zendaya’s emotional reaction after he pitched Rue’s death in 'Euphoria' finale

Euphoria creator Sam Levinson has opened up about the difficult conversation he had with Zendaya after revealing his plan to kill off Rue Bennett in the HBO drama’s series finale.

Speaking to Variety's Half Hour With series, Levinson admitted that pitching the ending to the Emmy-winning actress sparked a deeply emotional response, as both had spent years developing one of television’s most beloved and complicated characters.

“When I pitched her this season and the ending, it was a very emotional reaction,” Levinson said. “We love the character Rue. Zendaya has done such an incredible job bringing this character to life.”

The writer-director praised Zendaya’s performance throughout the show's run, adding that Rue’s popularity was largely due to the actress’ ability to make the troubled teenager both lovable and relatable despite her struggles with addiction.

Levinson acknowledged that deciding to end Rue’s story with her death was not easy for either of them.

“So it was a tough discussion,” he said. “Even through shooting, it sort of weighed on both of us.”

The controversial ending saw Rue, after several attempts to stay sober, take painkillers given to her by her employer Alamo, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. The pills were later revealed to be laced with fentanyl. Following a dreamlike sequence in which Rue returns home and reunites with her mother, viewers learn that she died in her sleep on the sofa of her mentor Ali, portrayed by Colman Domingo.

According to Levinson, the decision was heavily influenced by the death of actor Angus Cloud, who played fan-favourite Fezco in the first two seasons before his death from an accidental drug overdose in July 2023 at the age of 25.

“At the end of the day, she understood what I was doing, and it felt like the right way to honour Angus, someone whom we loved dearly and really rooted for and saw the best in,” Levinson explained.

The filmmaker also revealed that filming Rue’s death scene was made easier by the presence of Domingo, whom he described as one of his closest collaborators and a grounding presence for Zendaya throughout production.

“That kind of camaraderie really helped this sequence feel authentic and meaningful,” Levinson said. “We’ve been doing this for eight or nine years together, so it was a beautiful couple of days as we were shooting those scenes, because we knew how audiences would respond to it.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Levinson shared details of an abandoned opening sequence for Season 3. He originally envisioned Rue attempting to swim across the Rio Grande at the US-Mexico border before changing the scene after visiting Drug Enforcement Administration offices in Los Angeles.

There, he spotted a photograph of a Jeep stranded on top of a border wall following a failed smuggling attempt.

“I thought, ‘That’s the kind of moronic thing Rue would do,’” Levinson said, explaining how the image inspired the season’s final opening sequence, which shows Rue trying to drive her battered Jeep over the border.

The revelation offers fresh insight into the creative decisions behind Euphoria’s divisive final season, with Levinson making clear that Rue’s tragic fate was designed not only to conclude her story but also to serve as a tribute to Cloud’s memory.