Zendaya Issues Content Warning To Fans For 'Euphoria' Season 2

After a long three-year hiatus, Euphoria returned to HBO for its highly anticipated sophomore season. Ahead of the premiere, Zendaya, who stars as a 17-year-old drug addict named Rue on the show, took to social media to share a content warning for the upcoming season.

“I know I’ve said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences," she wrote in a note to fans. "This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch. Please only watch it if you feel comfortable. Take care of yourself and know that either way you are still loved and I can still feel your support. All my love, Daya”

At the end of the first season, Rue dealt with a devastating relapse. During a recent interview about her work on Euphoria, Zendaya opened up about the challenges of portraying Rue.

“This is a very difficult show to act in,” she said. “And it can be quite painful because your body doesn’t really know that any of it is not real, even if your mind does. And honestly, if you really care about the characters, which I know we all do, you just want them to make the right decision and be OK."

“For me, that’s a painful kind of battle that you wage inside you, where you must do something you wish they wouldn’t do," she continued. "It’s something you’d never say in real life, which is difficult when it’s with people you deeply care about! You want to tell them, ‘I’m so sorry for doing this … I don’t mean any of it! This is just a character, so please forgive me after this.’"

“But what made it special was the fact that we were in a safe environment, inhabited by people from the top and down to the crew. I felt very protected to be able to do my best work," she added. “I was in good hands, so I knew that I could go to the places I needed to go because I had the support I needed to pull it off. They had my back, and that’s the only way you can operate with something as intense as this.”

Euphoria airs at 9 p.m. EST on Sundays on both HBO and HBO Max.