Last night, Hollywood actress, Zendaya, made history with her second Emmys acting win, which also made history.
Zendaya became the youngest actor to win two Emmys for acting when she nabbed the award for outstanding lead actress in a drama series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, an honor she won in 2020 for her leading role in HBO Max’s Euphoria.
Zendaya is now the first Black woman to win twice in that category.
In her acceptance speech, Zendaya thanked all the actresses nominated in the same category. She also gave a special shoutout to Sam Levinson, the show’s creator, “for believing in me and even in moments when I didn’t believe in myself.”
In the show, Zendaya plays Rue Bennett, a teenager battling her addiction to hard drugs. The show has, at times, come under fire for seemingly glamorizing drug use, sex and violence.
While some of the scenes are undoubtedly hard to watch, what cannot be denied is the show writer’s ability to graphically tap so closely into a reality many would prefer not acknowledge-and Euphoria‘s cast all deliver stellar performances.
“My greatest wish for ‘Euphoria’ was that it could help heal people and I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their story with me,” she said, award in hand. “I want you to know that anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are Rue, I want you to know that I’m so grateful for your stories and I carry them with me and I carry them with her.”
“Euphoria” has been renewed for a third season.