![]() ![]() “At the end of the day, this is her mother, and there’s nothing like a mother’s love, and the fact that Rue seems to want to be sober, Leslie is going to support her 100%.” Preparing for the role “I think Rue and Leslie are going to be OK,” King said. "But once again, you never know with Sam," she added, referring to "Euphoria" director Sam Levinson.Įven after their tumultuous experiences, King still believes there is hope for reconciliation between mother and daughter. And I think for season three, I hope to see us be a family and kind of go through some normalcy. “Maybe she’s somewhere with Gia, having an outing, giving her some quality time. “Because Rue is sober and healthy and has a clear mind, I think Leslie ultimately is in a good space,” King said. She sees Leslie's overall character arc as growth towards prioritizing self care and "trying to save something in the tank for Gia." While King was mostly missing from that episode, she believes Leslie is doing well at the end of season two. By the season finale, Rue says in a voice-over that she is clean and stays that way for the rest of the school year. Then, the door opens, implying Rue has finally returned home. The final shot shows Leslie, sitting hunched over at her kitchen table in the early hours of the morning, exhausted. The camera often flashes to Gia’s face - tears streaming down her cheeks - as Rue shoves her mother, details her ideation of suicide and eventually sprints out of the car into traffic instead of going to rehab. (HBO Max)Īs Rue experiences the pain of withdrawal, her every word is laced with hurt. Leslie Bennett works to save her daughter, Rue, but also must save energy to protect and care for Gia. Zendaya herself warned in an Instagram post before the episode aired that it would follow Rue to rock bottom. In just the opening scenes, their altercation escalates to verbal abuse and violence. "I would like the focus to turn to Gia and see how she was affected, because yes, Rue is clean and sober for now, but that doesn't take away the hurt and damage that's been done to Gia," King said.Įpisode five in particular followed the Bennett family through their gut-wrenching attempts to hold an intervention for Rue. That trauma is why King hopes the show will tell Gia's story. In season one, a haunting scene followed Gia in her discovery of Rue's body after she overdosed. ![]() King sees season two as a reckoning with the repercussions of Rue's actions on her family. And Zendaya's so beautiful to work with, it really was easy." "I met her mother a couple times, and so I saw it as an opportunity to really just connect with her on a level that is just beyond an actor. "As the season went along we became more like family," King said. They were chatty, even goofy in between scenes. From the beginning it felt like a friendship, she said. But in true "Euphoria" fashion, even the gentlest moments often turn into the most painful.įor King, creating the Bennett family dynamic started all the way back with her first chemistry read with Zendaya. In the penultimate episode, in between the comedic scenes of Lexi's too true-to-life play, there seemed to be a moment of calm: Rue, laying next to her mom. ![]() This turning point in Leslie's character came suddenly and without warning for many viewers, just like hard conversations often do when they spring up in real life. But according to King, season two brought an evolution for Leslie. In season one, Leslie appeared to handle it all: coping with the trauma of having a child overdose and reeling from the stresses of keeping her daughter from relapse - all while surviving as a single mom grieving the death of her husband. ![]() But her breakout role in the drama series "Euphoria" as Rue's mother, Leslie Bennett, has established King as the show's emotional center, with a simple motivation: saving her child. Nika King may be more well known for her improv comedy skills than for her characters on the screen. ![]()
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