Zendaya Shares Note on Rue's Addiction in 'Euphoria' Season 2: 'Redemption Is Possible'

Zendaya is looking out for Rue Bennett.

On Instagram Sunday, before episode five of the long awaited second season of Euphoria dropped, the 25-year-old actress opened up about what she hopes viewers take away from her character's journey. The hit HBO series, which was recently renewed for season three, follows high schooler Rue as she struggles with her addiction and sobriety, while navigating ups and downs in her personal and romantic relationships.

"I think in this show, and this season more specifically, she hits rock bottom," Zendaya opened her post. "It's my hope for people watching that they still see her as a person worthy of their love. And worthy of their time, and that she has a redemptive quality still, and that we still see the good in her even if she can't see it in herself."

"I think that if people can go with her through that, and get to the end, and still have hope for her future, and watch her make the changes and steps to heal and humanize her through her sobriety journey and her addiction, then maybe they can extend that to people in real life," she continued.

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Zendaya — who won a primetime Emmy for her performance in Euphoria season 1, becoming the youngest person to win within the outstanding lead actress in a drama series category — added that the "most important thing" to her is that viewers who sympathize and love her character can do the same for people in real life who might be struggling with the same kind of "pain."

"I care about her deeply. I also care about the people who care about her, because I think many of them share her story of addiction and sobriety, and many of them share a lot of emotional disorders, and I think it's important that we continue to have that love for her," she wrote.

"I think it's important that we have characters that are flawed. And remember that we are not the worst mistake we've ever made. And that redemption is possible," the actress added.

The second season of the Sam Levinson-created show kicked off last month, its premiere becoming the most-viewed episode of an HBO series on HBO Max. It has since surpassed 14 million viewers across platforms, more than doubling the average audience of season 1 (6.6 million viewers per episode).

Euphoria also stars Hunter Schafer, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Barbie Ferreira, Storm Reid, Eric Dane and Colman Domingo. Minka Kelly and Dominic Fike also joined the star-studded cast for season 2.

Although most of Euphoria's characters are in high school, Zendaya previously reminded fans that the subject matter is mature, dealing with issues of drug addiction and spousal abuse.

"I know I've said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences," she wrote ahead of the season 2 premiere. "This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch."

"Please only watch it if you feel comfortable," she stressed. "Take care of yourself and know that either way you are still loved and I can still feel your support. All my love, Daya."

Euphoria airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.