The Feb. 6 episode of “Euphoria,” titled “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird,” is one that we won’t stop thinking about for a while, if ever. While the second season has spent a lot of time focusing on other characters, this one came back to Rue (Zendaya), the show’s main character. Rue’s substance abuse has caught up to her yet again, finding the teen careening both physically and mentally all over the place. Running into traffic, banging down people’s doors, stealing from her friends, and screaming at her family are only small parts of everything that happens in this episode – and Zendaya handled a lot of this on her own.
While on a rampage to avoid going to rehab and to avoid withdrawal symptoms, Rue quite literally runs into traffic to escape her mother. She ends up at Lexi (Maude Apatow) and Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) house, where her mom finds her. But the rescue is short-lived, and Rue ends up back out on the street. While running from the cops, Rue jumps fences, climbs over cars, and throws herself every which way to get out. The sequence was so action-packed, fans compared it to parkour. Now, some fans are wondering how much of the episode’s stunts were done by Zendaya herself andhow much, if any, was a stunt double.
Does Zendaya Do Her Own Stunts On “Euphoria”?
Zendaya told “Entertainment Weekly” that this episode was particularly grueling for her. “It was a very tough day,” she said. “I mean, I beat myself up. I still have some scars on my legs, and got quite a few bruises… It was so intense and scary to tackle, and obviously something that would be incredibly emotionally taxing, but also physically taxing.” She even refers to the episode as the “Rue run episode.”
Does Zendaya Have a Stunt Double on “Euphoria”?
While Zendaya did apparently do at least some of the stunts and physical activities in this episode, it’s possible she had some help from a stunt performer. Mallory Thompson is listed as Zendaya’s stunt double for a couple of episodes of season one of “Euphoria,” and as a stunt performer for the Feb. 6 episode. Thompson is widely believed to have helped out with the montage of Zendaya crashing her bike in “Euphoria”‘s pilot episode.
Still, because the physical sequences in season two, episode five, in particular, aren’t over-the-top difficult, we can definitely believe Zendaya did most of the work herself. While all the running and climbing would surely be exhausting, it seems like something the actress can handle.
What we know for sure is whoever was responsible for pulling off all those stunts did a killer job.
