Image via HBO
Euphoria’s teenagers are the core of the show. But their parents are orbiting closely around them, becoming integral parts of the story as well. Actress Nika King plays Rue and Gia’s mom, Leslie Bennett—a woman who is grieving the loss of her husband while also supporting her daughter through drug addiction. King’s performance on the show is remarkable. Leslie is patient, calm in the midst of chaos, but fierce and firm when it comes to protecting her children—especially against themselves. Leslie is the only adult in Rue’s life who is helping her recover and find the treatment she needs. While each of the teens’ households has its own struggles, the Bennett family has faced devastating loss and is still recovering from the trauma of Rue overdosing in Season 1. She quickly relapsed, and finally hits what seems like rock bottom in Season 2’s fifth and sixth episodes. Leslie found herself chasing her daughter around town after a violent shouting match, only to find herself being the one to welcome and care for her as she went through withdrawal when she finally came home.
King’s chemistry with Zendaya on-screen is convincing and captivating, and accurately portrays the often complicated relationships between teen girls and their mothers. There have been debates online about whether Leslie is a bad mom or not, especially after Rue said everything was her mom’s fault in Episode 5 “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird.” “You know what’s a shame, mom? My dad’s dead,” Rue says. “Kinda keeps you from admitting what a shit mother you are.” She apologizes, and in the following episode Rue regrets her words, and instead, she marvels at her mom’s ability to forgive and care for her in spite of everything she said. The question is, is it Leslie’s duty as a mother that keeps her from giving up on Rue, or is it love and faith?
King, who is also a standup comedian from Miami, has experienced the chaos and devastation that addiction can bring into a family firsthand. She saw her mother struggle when she was younger, so part of the emotion and the reactions we see on screen are rooted in her own feelings. The actress understands the gravity of the topics the show covers and she believes that while children shouldn’t be watching the Sam Levinson-created series, parents could learn from it if they give it a chance. Complex caught up with King following the two emotionally charged episodes and she dished on working with Zendaya, what it’s like to play the mom of a teen battling addiction, her personal experience, and what she hopes for Leslie in the future.
Part of the Euphoria conversation is about how much the show gets right in terms of addiction and how much it affects parents and the families of the people dealing with it. How do you feel Euphoria portrays it?
I think it does a really good job in showing an addict, especially a teenage addict who is dealing with her addiction, as well as her tribe who are not on drugs and her family, her sponsor. And it’s indicative in Episode 5. We see this whirlwind when she finds out that the drugs she’s been selling, or not selling, are discovered by her mom. So I think Zen does a great job, especially with this episode, showing that world of craziness and chaos.
What was it like for you both working with Zendaya and with Storm [Reid] to deal with all those emotions in that scene?
It definitely did a number on my psyche in regards to just constantly going after someone who is being so disrespectful and hurtful and at the same time, having a level of compassion for someone who’s obviously out of control. It weighs on the actor because I know Z and we’re giving everything to the characters, but it does physically drain you.
There’s a lot of buzz about that episode being the one that gets Zendaya the second Emmy nomination. How are you feeling about that and working with Zendaya overall?
I love to see Z in her bag. She is definitely growing and becoming just the bright star that she already is. And so, it’s no surprise. When we’re reading the scripts at the table read, we know what scenes and what episodes are going to be the juicy ones. And so having her do such a phenomenal job in Episode 5, it’s no surprise that people are saying, “Hey, she’s going to get that second Emmy,” and rightfully so. She’s extremely talented.
To what level do you think it’s a parent’s responsibility to stick by their child before they get frustrated and just give up?
I think at this age you want to be there as much as you can. Of course, without being in the way of harm. I think Leslie has been through it and it’s a lot, but I don’t think she’s at that point yet of giving up on her daughter. I don’t know if we’ll see that for Season 2 or Season 3, but I think she’s definitely committed to getting her daughter clean at whatever cost.
We also don’t discuss how Leslie also lost her husband and she’s also grieving and mourning but she is not able to. She has to put her feelings in the backseat to take care of her daughters, which is what a lot of mothers do when they’re in survival mode.
They don’t really get to. I honestly think Leslie is operating in a high-functioning depression mode. We don’t see her grieve, we only see her tackling this addiction with Rue and trying to avoid any direct consequences when it comes to Gia. So she has these two daughters that, one, she’s putting all of her attention towards, and the other one, she’s just collateral damage. And I think a lot of mothers in those situations are literally fighting these demons to keep their families from being torn apart.
I think a lot of women, especially women of color, could relate to having to operate while having high functioning depression. Do you think that mothers can see Leslie and find a little bit of peace in knowing that they’re not alone?
Yes, 100 percent. I’ve been getting DMs from parents, from kids, and no matter what the situation is, they can relate. I mean, yes, Rue is addicted to drugs and they’re dealing with that, but at the same time, it could be anything. And we know when you’re a teenager, you have issues. You’re going through it. You’re going through puberty, you’re fighting hormones and finding self-identity, and maybe dealing with bullying or whatever. And so I think any mother can relate, especially Black and brown mothers who have another level of obstacles thrown into the mix.
You got some DMs from people saying how Leslie should act towards Rue that were like, “Oh, my mom would’ve slapped me if I said this,” but you had a moment where you really did slap her in the face.
But Leslie only slapped her when she went towards Gia. It’s like Gia is hands-off. You give it to me, but you are not going to attack her. And I think that’s where she draws the line. Because the first reaction to anybody being disrespectful to you is to lash out. To hit, to slap, to swing. But I think Leslie understands her daughter in a way where she knows that’s not going to help. Now, if she’s pushed to the limit, yes, she will put some hands on her. But I think that’s not her first resort. It’s not to physically attack Rue because first, she understands she’s going through withdrawal, she’s having a crisis and there are mental health issues involved. So you want to treat it very delicately.
We don’t really talk about Rue’s mental health struggles, which could have taken her down this path. Dealing with that is a lot of pull and tug. How much compassion can I give versus how much am I protecting myself? Leslie does a good job at managing both of those.
Yeah. I think she does, but a person can only take so much before they crumble. I think Leslie’s faith has a lot to do with her strength. At some point she may have to say, “Hey, I can no longer help my daughter. I have to put it in God’s hands.” And I think we may see that from her at some point, because she has to now worry about her other daughter and her mental health.
Do you hope people can understand why Leslie is being this empathetic towards her daughter or do you think it’s frustrating that people expect her to lash out?
I think after Episode 5, people have a more comprehensive outlook on Leslie, on Rue, on Gia. I think the picture is now coming into view. I think the first couple of episodes people were like, “Oh, Leslie is dumb, she’s blind. She’s needy on the phone, what is she doing? How does she not know her daughter’s on drugs?” It was a lot of that verbiage, but I think now they’re finally seeing more of this family life and how it’s affecting everyone. And I think as the season goes on, we’ll see more and more of that. And hopefully more of all of those characters being revealed in Season 3.
You’ve been open about your own family dealing with addiction and how you grew up seeing that. Can you share a little bit of your own experience? I know that’s personal.
I do stand-up comedy for a living so I get on stage to tell people my business, so it’s all good. I know those feelings of helplessness, of embarrassment, of disappointment, of hurt. I’ve experienced that as a child watching my own mother go through her addiction and getting clean and the constant fighting and domestic violence. So those things are not new to me. I hate to say that I’m happy that I went through it, but I’m glad that I was able to have something to pull from. And it resonated with people in a real way because people are like, “Yo, it felt real.” And guess what, it was real, it was coming from a real place.
Do you think that it helped with a little bit of healing and facing your own past and your own history?
Without a doubt, yes. I’m telling you, I don’t think I’ve cried this much in my entire life, but the great thing is, I grew up with a perspective that crying was weak. So I never really cried as a kid, as a teenager, in my early 20s. It wasn’t until I went to therapy when I was 27 years old and I was able to express what it is that I was feeling and my therapist telling me, “It’s OK to cry. You can cry, that’s not a bad thing.” And so I haven’t stopped crying since. It’s therapeutic, it’s a release. I don’t see it as a weakness anymore.
Do you think that you would’ve perhaps appreciated the show when you were going through it yourself?
I would have definitely appreciated Euphoria as a young adult. Now the crazy part is, it is about kids, but some of the content isn’t kid-friendly. But I talked with my sister and my nephews, they’re 13, and they want to see the show. And I said, “Well, they can’t really see the show, but you can show them Episode 5.” And that’s what I think as parents, you can maybe take that episode and sit your kids down and watch it together and have a conversation and say, “Hey, this is the effect of drugs. This is the reality of what drugs do to your mind, your body, your families, how it makes you act out.” I think that may be a good start for families who are going through it. Because I know for me, I would have definitely wanted to see something like this so I could feel like I’m not going through this by myself.
For a lot of parents, they probably watched the show and think, “Oh, this isn’t really happening. This show is glamorizing drug use and exaggerating it.” I’ve talked to people who are younger, and they’re like, “No, this is actually happening in my high school.”
I think times have changed with the advent of cellphones, all of the social media platforms, the pushing of sexual imagery for young girls, and a certain lifestyle for young boys. I think it is different and it may not happen to that extreme, but I think kids are being exposed to things earlier. As parents, you’ve got to wake up and pay attention because you don’t want to lose your kids to the streets or you don’t want to lose your kids to social media because you think, “It didn’t happen in my era, so it’s not happening now.” No. I have conversations with my nieces and nephews and you’d be surprised at some of the things that they know about. It’s a little uncomfortable, but at the same time, you have to break through that awkwardness and get to the real issues and have real conversations.
I know you’re not a parent yet or even if you want to be a parent, but how is it like for you to play a parent who is dealing with an addict?
Oh, yes. My dream role, girl. I’ve always had a maternal instinct. I grew up raising kids. My mom had six kids, so I was always changing diapers and taking kids to school very early. I had a lot of responsibilities as a kid. And so to be able to play a mother, I would say it’s second nature, even though I don’t have kids. I enjoy having that bond with Z and Stormy, even offscreen. It feels good to come in and be like, “Oh, I have two daughters.” And even though one of them is a little out there, we have fun creating a family vibe on set, and I like it, I really do.
What do you hope that people are getting out of the show?
I hope viewers are taking away this sense of victory over any obstacle. Yes, it’s dealing with addiction at its core, but ultimately it’s about someone who’s fighting their own demon to get to the other side. To have a good life, to enjoy their family and their friends. So I just hope people see that if they’re going through something right now, and it’s hard and you’re maybe by yourself because you’ve pushed everyone away, that they can find some kind of courage or faith or strength or God to help them get out of that dark place. Because we’ve all been through it and it’s nice to come out of something and say, “Man, I made it.”