Why Euphoria Season 2 Episode 5's Intervention Really Bothered Star
Storm Reid, who plays Gia on Euphoria, discusses the emotional impact that filming difficult scenes for season 2 of the hit show had on her in real life. Euphoria follows the lives of high school students as they navigate romantic relationships, sex, addiction, and violence. Euphoria has proven to be a divisive show, with some people thinking it's too stressful to watch, while others find the show's storylines entertaining and even strangely relaxing. The series revolves around Rue Bennett ( played by Zendaya) while Reid plays Gia Bennett, Rue’s younger sister.
Rue struggles with addiction throughout the show, but in season 2, episode 5, “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird,” audiences witnessed one of the most heart-wrenching scenes involving Rue and her little sister to date. In the episode, Rue’s family stages an intervention, and Rue, feeling trapped, acts out against her family and runs away. In one particularly intense moment, Rue kicks down Gia’s bedroom door and screams at her family. The outburst made it clear that Rue is at, or at least nearing, her true rock bottom.
Reid spoke with E! News about what it felt like to film those scenes. In the interview, she shared that it was sometimes difficult to separate her real life from the fictional world of Euphoria. Seeing Zendaya as Rue at her lowest, taking out her fear and emotions on Reid, took a mental toll on the actress. Here’s what Reid had to say about it:
“Once you call cut and say it’s a wrap for the day, I’m usually able to go home and be fine, but I spent a lot of time thinking about what we shot after the fact. I think it really bothered me.”
“That’s your true raw emotion of what’s going on in the scene and to see [Rue] kick down that door and scream at me and like us tussling, I was just like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t want to do this anymore. Like I’m tussling with my sister.”
Since Euphoria covers such sensational material, many of the actors have discussed that it was difficult to fully separate the emotional state of their characters from their own. On-set reports of an allegedly toxic work environment making Euphoria likely doesn't help with that. However, many of the actors, including Reid, have stated that they pour their whole selves into their performances in order to make the show more relatable. While some critics of Euphoria claim that the show is unrealistic, many young people do struggle with addiction, so actors like Reid want to make sure to capture the weight of such serious topics.
After Euphoria season 1, it was clear there was still more of Gia's story to be told. She was often seen watching the action of an episode from a distance, but audiences weren’t able to learn much about her unique perspective or story. Euphoria season 2 let viewers get to know a bit more about Gia as a character. However, many are hoping for even more insight into Gia’s personality and opinions in the upcoming Euphoria season 3.
Source: E! News