The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards was full of great moments and historic milestones. This included Zendaya who became the first black woman to win the lead role twice. She won the Lead Actress in a Drama Series this year for her role as Ryu on the hit HBO series. Euphoria for the same role, she won the female lead in 2020. The actress is still only the second black woman to win in this category.
Zendaya has been one of the hottest rising stars of the past few years, starring in hit movies like John Watts’ Spiderman trilogy, Duneas well as The Greatest Showmanbut it’s in Euphoria where you will find the most memorable performance of this pioneering actress. Ryu is such a complex character that has everything that is funny, and sincere, and inspiring, and deeply wrong, and tragic. What Zendaya brought to the role in the last two seasons of the show was nothing less than craftsmanship. Especially last season, when Ryu found herself in some emotionally charged situations as the character continued to struggle with her addictions, which also caused friction between her friends and family.
On the same note, in her powerful speech, Zendaya thanked the show’s fans for sharing their stories of how Ryu helped them through their own healing process. This is the main reason why the show resonated with so many people. Even though the series has an elevated character at times, Euphoriaan ever-evolving coming-of-age story is dedicated to the appropriate advancement of healing. Healing from our own inner demons, addictions and self-inflicted trauma. Even if we can’t understand Ryu’s specific addiction, Zendaya makes it easy to see how much of us is reflected in her performance. This vulnerable lightness is a skill that makes Zendaya a rare emotional force.
However, this is only on the narrative side of things. In terms of the real world, what Zendaya has achieved in terms of representation is very important. The actress has a treasure trove of significant roles in her young career, and the care she continues to put into her character Ryu means so much to so many people. Zendaya is now two for two with Euphoria. It may be too early to predict the future, but as Season 3 approaches, this amazing talent could have a third Emmy lead actress on the horizon.
Euphoria, since its debut in 2019, has been one of the best teen dramas ever made thanks to its gripping cinematic direction, emotionally intricate script, and powerful performance. Zendaya, who also became the show’s executive producer for the second season, and her historic work as Ryu only adds to the Euphoriabrilliant success. You can stream Zendaya’s award-winning performance in the first two seasons Euphoria on HBO Max now.
Source: Collider
