Los Angeles: A new HBO show about a group of teens coping with drug addiction, sex, identity and social media portrays former Disney star Zendaya in a whole new light.
Zendaya had to reach into some of the darkest places of her mind to portray Rue, a haunted drug-addicted 17-year-old teenager trying desperately to find her way. She said she felt very safe on set, enabling her to get into character.
"I think we've just been allowed to be in this bubble that has protected us so we can go to those places," she said. "We support each other and we take care of each other while we are actually on set and that's down to, you know, boom operators, camera operators, whoever it may be - we all are kind of in this together and you feel that when you're at work. So, I think that's the number one set up for this kind of job because if you didn't have that, you can't go to those places, you know. You have to have that support."
Fifteen-year-old actress Storm Reid, best known for 'A Wrinkle in Time', said she felt "immensely proud" to witness Zendaya transform into her role. She plays Zendaya's younger sister, Gia.
"I've watched all the other things that she's done, and this is such a departure from what she's done. But she's doing it so well and so gracefully, so just to see her blossom into an even bigger flower is really cool. So I'm really proud of her," said Reid.
Actress Maude Apatow, whose parents are director Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann, recommends the show to older teen audiences.
"Probably, like, late teens, 20s, 30s and hopefully, like, adults will like it too. I think, yeah, but I don't know if young teenagers should watch it. It's a little inappropriate for that," she commented.
Canadian rapper Drake serves as one of the show's executive producers. Zendaya got to meet him briefly on set.