Euphoria creator had a completely different ending for Rue, so here’s why it was changed

As if Euphoria’s finale wasn’t devastating enough already, Sam Levinson has revealed that Rue’s ending was originally supposed to be very different.

The final episode saw Zendaya’s character die from an accidental overdose after taking fentanyl-laced pills given to her by Alamo. It was a shocking end for a character everyone had followed through years of addiction, relapse and recovery.

But according to Levinson, Rue’s entire season three storyline was actually meant to be very different.

Rue originally had a different ending

via HBO

Speaking to The New York Times’ Popcast, Levinson explained that he had another plan for Rue before the death of Angus Cloud, who played Fezco.

“There was a different trajectory for the character of Rue,” he said. “And, this is during the writers’ strike and we got the news that Angus passed away.”

Cloud died from an accidental overdose in July 2023 at the age of 25, and Levinson admitted the loss completely changed how he approached the season.

“Once he passed away, I had to reconceive of the script, and I thought, you can’t tell a story about addiction today without the very real consequences. Most people don’t get a second chance.”

Levinson explained that after losing Cloud, he felt it was impossible to tell a story about addiction without addressing how dangerous drugs have become, particularly because of fentanyl.

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“I’d always been really concerned about the prevalence of fentanyl, and it’s something that we’ve dealt with over the seasons, and even in my first film,” he explained.

He continued, “Fentanyl can just take you out in an instant. It wasn’t like when I was growing up; you could literally take pills off the street and you might have a bad trip or something, but you’d be fine. This is something that hits close to home for a lot of people in this country. So it felt like the responsible thing to do.”

Rue’s death was meant to make viewers feel the loss

via HBO

Levinson also revealed that one of the main reasons for killing Rue was to put viewers in the same position as families who lose loved ones to addiction.

“One of the larger thematic ideas for this season was pulling back the illusions of the world that we live in, whether it’s ‘likes will fulfil your soul,’ whether it’s love, money, fame, ‘drugs will provide an escape,'” he said.

“And it felt like if we were really gonna be saying something with this season, we needed to put the audience in the position of a family member who loses someone that they love. I wanted to mirror that feeling.”

He added, “And I know how much audiences love Rue. It felt like I could put them in the position that I think a lot of families are in.”

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