Rue Bennett

Ruby "Rue" Bennett is a fictional character in the American television drama series Euphoria on HBO. Part of the main cast for all three seasons and the specials, Rue is the sardonic protagonist who serves as the show's unreliable narrator through voice-over monologues about other characters' intimate lives. Rue is portrayed by Zendaya and depicted as a junior in high school with substance use disorder. Having failed drug rehabilitation, Rue meets Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer) and falls instantly in love with her. Triggered by her complicated romance with Jules, Rue relapses into opiate addiction, discouraged by her mentor Ali Muhammad (Colman Domingo) and encouraged by addict friend Elliot (Dominic Fike). After indebting herself to her drug dealer Fezco O'Neill's (Angus Cloud) supplier Laurie (Martha Kelly), Rue decides to stay clean and breakup with Jules. As a young adult, Laurie indentures Rue as a drug mule, before she escapes to work for pimp Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), who eventually kills her. Sam Levinson wrote Rue based on his experiences with drugs as a teenager; she has been described as a self-insert. The character and Zendaya's performance have received universal critical acclaim. For her portrayal, Zendaya has won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and a Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.