Sam Levinson and ‘Euphoria’ Cinematographer on How the Show’s Harrowing Opening Scene Was a Metaphor for Rue: ‘One False Move and She’s Going Over the Edge’

By Jazz Tangcay

Jazz Tangcay

Artisans Editor

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“Euphoria” is back.

After a four-year hiatus, creator Sam Levinson was excited to take the high-school characters into adulthood. He says, “They can be in the wider world, and with that freedom comes obvious consequences.”

Enter Rue (Zendaya). For the last few years, she has spent her days up to no good as she smuggles fentanyl across the border. It’s all part of paying off her debt to her dealer, Laurie (Martha Kelly). The show opens with her driving her beat-up car on another run. She drives it up a makeshift ramp and gets stuck, then she tries maneuvering it and moving around inside the car, hoping to get it to roll forward. Rue eventually gives up and leaves it suspended in mid-air, teetering on the edge.

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