Sydney Sweeney is famous in both senses of the word, she’s critically acclaimed, with two Emmy nominations in the same year, and loved by the masses, especially by Gen Z. However, with that level of fame, comes the gross side of the internet, and the actress is getting candid about the disgusting way people reacted to her nude scenes on Euphoria.
Euphoria deals with heavy subjects, in a raw way. It deals with drug abuse, sexual assault, abortion, and many other topics like it without holding back. For Sweeney’s character Cassie, her nudes were distributed around the high school in Season 1, and following the episode, people screenshotted her nude photos and posted them on Instagram. People’s assumptions about Sweeney regarding these nude scenes even impacted a lawsuit she was involved with. The actress discussed how big the show has gotten, the reactions people have had to her scenes, and just how far people took it on social media telling GQ:
It got to the point where they were tagging my family. My cousins don’t need that. It’s completely disgusting and unfair. You have a character that goes through the scrutiny of being a sexualised person at school and then an audience that does the same thing.
On top of this, she’s also spoken about the public’s response to her nude scenes in the show. She specifically addressed a while back how she wishes it was easier to have an “open conversation” about them without all the assumptions people place on her. Sweeney also said she has no problem with filming the scenes, it’s the public’s response that’s disturbing. Then, in the GQ article, when asked if she wants to hide from all the negative attention, she responded with:
Not anymore. I think it’s ridiculous. I’m an artist, I play characters. It makes me want to play characters that piss people off more.
As someone who was in college during the first two seasons of Euphoria, I witnessed its popularity among Gen Z firsthand, especially when Season 2 premiered on the 2022 TV schedule. While it’s disgusting what Sweeney has had to go through, and goes against everything I think Euphoria is trying to warn people about, it’s empowering to see the actress stand her ground, and call people out for their gross actions.
Along with people's reactions, Sweeney discussed the trajectory of her character, Cassie, who goes from “meek” cheerleader to villain in the span of two seasons. Following the Season 1 moment, the memes and photos from Season 2 spread across the internet to the point of virality. It felt like just about any comment she made became a big point of conversation, from her nude scenes to thoughts on how much she gets paid.
However, along with the negative, the actress has also received lots of acclaim for her work on Euphoria and the first season of The White Lotus. She’s also landed some massive roles following her breakout on the HBO shows, including a role among the Madame Web cast, which also includes Dakota Johnson and Emma Roberts. Her recent rise to fame, and the influx of work truly shows just how hard she works, and how good she is at her job.
If you are interested in watching Sweeney in her critically acclaimed roles, you can watch both seasons of Euphoria and Season 1 of The White Lotus with an HBO Max subscription.
