Former Disney Channel star Zendaya made history on Sunday, becoming the youngest woman to win best actress in a drama series at the 72nd Emmy Awards.
The 24-year-old picked up the coveted prize for her portrayal of teenage drug addict Rue in HBO’s Euphoria.
Zendaya saw off Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”), the aforementioned Comer and her “Killing Eve” co-star Sandra Oh, Olivia Colman (“The Crown”) and Laura Linney (“Ozark”).
She thanked her family, team and “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson.
“I appreciate you so much; you’re my family,” said Zendaya, addressing Levinson, who based the series on his own battle with drug addiction. “I’m so grateful for Rue. I’m so grateful that you trusted me with your story.”
“I know this feels like a really weird time to be celebrating,” she added. “But I just want to say that there is hope in the young people out there. I know that our TV show doesn’t always feel like a great example of that, but there is hope in the young people. And I just want to say to all my peers out there doing the work in the streets, I see you, I admire you, I thank you,” she added.
Zendaya won for her gritty portrayal of teenage drug addict Rue on the HBO high school drama, and this attention from the Television Academy for it marked her first-ever major awards attention in general.
