Euphoria's Rue originally had a different ending before it was changed

2 June 2026, 19:46

By Katie Louise Smith

Euphoria season 3's ending, and Rue's trajectory, was changed after Angus Cloud's tragic death.

As expected, Euphoria season 3 ended with a pretty divisive final episode but, per creator Sam Levinson, that wasn't originally how it was going to end. In fact, Angus Cloud's real life death had a big impact on what ultimately happened to Rue.

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for Euphoria season 3 finale as well as discussions of substance addiction, please read ahead with caution.

The HBO series ended in a devastating way with the death of Zendaya's beloved Rue Bennett following an accidental overdose after taking fentanyl-laced painkillers given to her by kingpin Alamo.

Fans have been left heartbroken at the ending of Rue's story, with many hoping that she would survive and go on to live a happy life.

According to Sam Levinson, he originally wrote a different arc for Rue in the final season before changing things following Angus' death. In the end, he says the final outcome was "a way of honouring Angus and saying a prayer for the future."

• Read more: Euphoria actor confirms what happened between Maddy and Alamo in season 3
• Read more: Euphoria season 3 ending: Here's what happens to each character

Speaking on The New York Times' Popcast podcast, Sam shared that the ending was inspired by his very real concerns about the prevalence of fentanyl and the role it played in Angus Cloud's death.

"There was a different trajectory for the character of Rue," Sam revealed of the original script. "During the writers’ strike [in 2023], we got the news that Angus passed away."

Sam continued: "Once [Angus] passed away, I had to re-conceive the script and I thought, you can’t tell a story about addiction today without the very real consequences. Most people don’t get a second chance. Fentanyl can just take you out in an instant."

"This is something that hits close to home for a lot of people in this country."

Sam didn't reveal exactly what his original ending for Rue entailed but, at the top of the interview, he did mention in passing that it was "not that different" to what we saw. It's not yet been revealed if Rue died in the original script or if she survived.

Angus' tragic death prompted Sam to use season 3 to say something powerful about the devastating affect fentanyl is having on people in the US.

"It felt like if we were really going to be saying something, we needed to put the audience in the position of a family member who loses someone that they love," he continued. "And I know how much I love Rue and audiences love Rue. I wanted to mirror that feeling. It felt like I could put them in the position that I think a lot of families are in."

His comments echo what he had previous said about Angus' death at the Euphoria season 3 premiere: "I was really angry about fentanyl, the fact that in 2023, the year Angus died, 73,000 Americans died of fentanyl overdoses. I couldn’t understand what it was about our country that we were allowing so many people to be poisoned."

Explaining Rue's accidental overdose, despite her being sober for the whole season, he went on to say: "That addictive personality is always underneath the surface. And in the end, she’s banged up and her hand got cut. I always thought of it as a window into whatever pain is going on in her psyche. And she feels, ‘OK, I’ll just take one.’"

"I always imagine it was the fentanyl that she had smuggled into the country in the first episode," he said, adding a brutal twist to her death.

In a behind-the-scenes interview with HBO, he elaborated further, adding: "I think in the end, I wanted to tell an honest story about addiction. People relapse. They f--k up. They’re not ready to get clean. And they weren’t dying like they are now, with the influx of fentanyl into this country."

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with addiction, the following organisations may be able to help:

• FRANK
• National Helpline for Mental Health, Drug, Alcohol Issues

Read more Euphoria news here:

• Eric Dane revealed he filmed his Euphoria season 3 scenes before his tragic death
• Euphoria's Storm Reid reveals why she isn't returning for season 3
• HBO reportedly rejected two storylines for Zendaya's Rue in Euphoria season 3
• Angus Cloud's "extraordinary" Euphoria audition tape shared by his mother
• Angus Cloud said he was really excited to start work on Euphoria season 3 before his death

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