Gritty teen drama tells it like it is

Euphoria's cast says the series is an honest depiction of what teens go through

Former Disney sitcom regular Zendaya, now a pop star and actress, plays Rue, a girl whose substance-abuse struggles are charted in gory detail in Euphoria.
Former Disney sitcom regular Zendaya, now a pop star and actress, plays Rue, a girl whose substance-abuse struggles are charted in gory detail in Euphoria. PHOTO: HBO
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The series Euphoria might horrify some parents with its explicit scenes of high school students getting into sex and drugs and the dark side of social media - but the young actors in the show say this is an honest depiction of the lives of many kids today and relatable in a way many teen dramas are not.

It also features characters with different body types and gender identities, and this was important to stars Zendaya, Barbie Ferreira and Hunter Schafer. As actresses and models, they have all spoken out to challenge gender and beauty norms.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 17, 2019, with the headline Gritty teen drama tells it like it is. Subscribe