“I knew if I wasn’t a part of this show, I’d be miserable,” she said.

At the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills , Zendaya, 22, collapsed on a couch. The stylish actress had spent a long day in maroon velvet stilettos, but she was still eager to talk about why she wanted this role so badly and whether she would be able to break Rue’s more vulgar habits in time for the “Spider-Man” press tour.

These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Did “Euphoria” appeal to you because it was such a break from Disney?

There was no strategic plan. After shooting “The Greatest Showman” and “Spider-Man,” I went back to my Disney show, which is kind of like going to college and then having to go back and do the same grade over and over again. Not that I didn’t appreciate having a job. But it’s like you turn a switch on and do it, and then you get turned off and go home. I wanted more. Upon talking to Sam and finding out that Rue is really an incarnation of him and his battles with addiction and depression and a multitude of other things that everyone deals with­, it made sense why I connected with her.

You don’t do drugs. What do you have in common with Rue?

I feel like she’s a version of myself with different choices and circumstances. Rue is a good person, she just doesn’t know it. She’s in pain. There’s something innocent and redeeming about her that reminds you that she’s a human first and an addict second.