Zendaya and Hunter Schafer Are Just Getting Started Beyond Euphoria
From on-screen lovers to real-life sisters-at-heart, Euphoria stars Zendaya and Hunter Schafer turned a chance fan encounter into a day-making moment — the latest glimpse into a bond that goes far beyond the set.
On screen, Rue and Jules are a beautiful mess. Off screen, Zendaya and Hunter Schafer are the opposite: steady, warm, and honestly kind of inseparable. Here’s how that friendship grew, the wildly sweet fan moment that still makes the rounds, and what the show’s creator says is coming for their characters next.
The 2019 FaceTime that blew up for all the right reasons
Back on November 15, 2019 in Southern California, a 13-year-old transgender fan named Noa Levine met Zendaya and told her how much Euphoria — and specifically Hunter Schafer — had meant to her. Zendaya didn’t just nod and smile. She pulled out her phone, FaceTimed Schafer on the spot, and handed the moment right over to the kid.
Noa later told NowThis Entertainment on Facebook that she walked in, burst into tears, introduced herself as a 13-year-old trans girl, and asked if there was any way to connect with Hunter. Zendaya immediately put Hunter on the screen, Hunter said hi, and Noa cried even harder. She also told Hunter she was her biggest role model — basically a superhero. It was one of those rare viral clips that actually deserved to go viral.
From scene partners to real-life family
When Euphoria started shooting, most of Schafer’s early scenes were with Zendaya. By summer 2019, Schafer was talking about how working through Jules’s story — and her complicated connection with Rue — was therapeutic, and that eight months of filming had turned the two of them into genuine friends. She told the New York Times at the time that Zendaya was her main scene partner and that she’d walked away with a new best friend. The vibe stuck.
Zendaya is one of my best friends in the world to this day.
That line came from Schafer last year on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, where she also said Zendaya helped her navigate sudden fame. Makes sense — Zendaya had already logged serious time in the spotlight thanks to things like Spider-Man: No Way Home, so she was well-positioned to show a newcomer the ropes.
Mutual hype, on and off set
Schafer has called Zendaya a force, talked about how easy and real acting feels when they’re bouncing off each other, and described her as the sweetest, most down-to-earth person. Zendaya has returned the favor. In a Harper’s Bazaar interview in late 2021, she said she watched one of Schafer’s Euphoria scenes from behind the camera and could tell something clicked — Schafer had channeled real pain into a beautiful performance.
They’ve both compared the friendship to sisterhood. In an HBO video, Zendaya said they became very, very close while filming and have seen each other at their best and worst with zero judgment. Schafer added that it felt like gaining a new sister. Zendaya has even said she felt protective of Schafer like an older sibling would — which is funny, considering Zendaya is actually the youngest in her own family. And on Schafer’s 23rd birthday (December 31, 2021), Zendaya posted an Instagram Story that read like a love note: a cheerful Happy hunty day message telling @hunterschafer she loved her.
Where Schafer’s gone since Euphoria
Euphoria was Schafer’s industry starting point — she even co-wrote one of the episodes — and the acclaim hit fast. She’s since popped up in Belle, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Cuckoo, and Kinds of Kindness. She is set to appear in Mother Mary (which, at the time it came up, was slated for the following year). She also showed up as a guest judge on episode six of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 17 and is attached to star in the Blade Runner 2099 miniseries in 2026.
So… what’s going on with Rue and Jules in season 3?
Creator Sam Levinson told The Hollywood Reporter that, after a time jump, Rue and Jules will be living separate lives. It’s a bit of a curveball if you’re hoping for immediate reconciliation, but it sets the table for something interesting. Here’s the gist:
- Rue heads to Mexico after the time jump, trying to pay back her season 2 debt to Laurie — yes, the terrifying drug dealer. Levinson suggested Rue is scrambling for inventive ways to handle it.
- Jules goes to art school, spiraling about whether she can actually make it as a painter and dodging responsibility whenever possible.
Translation: their trajectories split, at least for a while, and the big question is whether they find their way back to each other once the dust settles.
Euphoria is available to stream on HBO Max.