Miss Marsha On 'Euphoria' Is Telling Her True Story

- Euphoria -
Miss Marsha On 'Euphoria' Is Telling Her True Story

It's hard to stand out in an episode of Euphoria so intensely dependent on Zendaya's heartbreaking performance as Rue, and yet, Miss Marsha manages. One of just four characters in the episode, Miss Marsha appeared in "Trouble Don't Last Always" as a waitress at the diner who gives Rue some much needed advice on addiction and recovery. But what makes it so remarkable is that Euphoria's Miss Marsha is actually the real story of the actor herself, Marsha Gamble.

Gamble, who goes by Miss Marsha IRL, is a recovering addict who met Zendaya and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson on set while filming the pilot. She worked at a church where they were filming, and started talking with the cast and crew. "We were just taken by her charm, her personality, and her story," Zendaya revealed during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Thursday, Dec. 3. "She had her own story of addiction and her own battle with addiction, and she was so open and honest." They were so taken by her that Levinson put her in three episodes of Season 1 and promised they'd be back to call on her for more. And call they did.

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Not only did Miss Marsha return to Euphoria, she also shared her life story with the show. "Those words that you see are her own words," Zendaya said, seemingly confirming that, like her character, Gamble had been sober for 17 years. "What she says is her story and it actually ended up being the title of the episode." (Give her an Emmy for the line "Everything that's good to you ain't always good for you," please.)

For Colman Domingo, who reprised his role as Ali, Rue's sponsor, as one of the two main characters on screen, having Miss Marsha in the episode, telling her own story, pushed him to deliver on set. "We have great conversations with her, great insight," he told Entertainment Weekly, calling her scene "the most beautiful gift." Domingo has been getting rave reviews for his performance in the episode, something he partly credited to Gamble. "And so, you have the truth in the scene. I personally felt like I had the truth right over my shoulder, so there was no way I could actually play a false note. I had the responsibility of Miss Marsha literally over my right shoulder."

It's still unclear how exactly these special Euphoria episodes will play into the show's highly anticipated Season 2, but it seems like, contrary to some fan theories, "Trouble Don't Last Always" doesn't actually take place in purgatory or in Rue's head after after her apparent overdose at the end of Season 1. This episode was very, very real, and hopefully that means there's room for Miss Marsha to come back in the future. Ali and Rue need to eat pancakes somewhere, right?

Image: HBO Max

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