Zendaya Uses 1 Hilarious Movie to Help Her Decompress From ‘Euphoria’

It’s no secret that Zendaya loves working on Euphoria. She has formed tight bonds with her fellow cast and crewmates and she also enjoys learning while on set. Even before the show earned the movie star her first Emmy nomination and win, she was itching to go back for Season 2. But filming the show isn’t always easy for the Disney alum.

On Euphoria, Zendaya portrays 17-year-old, Rue Bennet. Not only is Rue struggling with the ups and downs of everyday adolescence, but she’s also a drug addict. In addition to that, Rue has some pretty intense mental health issues that make her life more challenging. Stepping into a character who is in such an extreme headspace certainly presents the actor with a challenge. And while the Malcolm & Marie star was able to overcome said challenges, it was a struggle for her at times.

Zendaya stuggled with self-criticism on the set of ‘Euphoria’

Sam Levinson, who created and directed Euphoria, has stated that Zendaya has a tendency to be very self-critical. In the early days of filming for season 1, this occasionally impeded the actor’s ability to be emotionally vulnerable. Zendaya herself has corroborated these claims. The Dune actor shared that her perfectionist tendencies can sometimes get in the way of her performance.

“If I overanalyze a scene before I get to it, I’ll eventually get blocked because I’m judging myself, like, ‘You’re not doing this right;'” Zendaya shared with InStyle. “There’s such a high expectation that I end up not being able to give anything at all.” Fortunately, Zendaya is typically able to quell her more Virgo tendencies and give the emotional performance required of her character. But how does she decompress from playing such a dark role?

The ‘Dune’ actor relies on ‘Harry Potter’ and a funny movie to help her decompress

Zendaya actually relies on movies to help her unwind from a particularly intense day on set. The eight Harry Potter movies are a constant staple in her house and she used them to get through filming for Euphoria Season 1. However, she also relies on another hilarious kids’ movie to help her find some levity after a challenging day.

“Some days I just want to go home, cuddle up with my dog, and watch a little Harry Potter,” Zendaya shared in the aforementioned interview. “I also love Shrek. That’s another staple in my household when I have heavy days at work.” It’s great that Zendaya has found a form of self-care that helps her release the energy of her character. While sometimes she is able to pop out of character with ease, other times, she needs a bit more time to return to herself.

It’s sometimes hard for Zendaya to let her ‘Euphoria’ character, Rue, go

“A lot of times, with Rue, I have such a deep love for her that when she’s going through something, it breaks my heart,” Zendaya shared. “And your body doesn’t know that the situation isn’t real; it’s absorbing those things and really going through it. It can take time for your body to come back to normal.” Considering Zendaya has shared that Euphoria Season 2 will be hard to watch, we’d wager that she watched Shrek quite a few times this year.