‘Euphoria’ Star Keeps It Cool on Set: Sydney Sweeney Says Nude Scenes Don’t Bother Her
Sydney Sweeney has never been shy about discussing the more vulnerable aspects of her work on ‘Euphoria’, and a resurfaced quote from the actress is making the rounds again as the HBO drama’s third and final season pushes Cassie Howard into its most explicit territory yet
. In an interview with W Magazine, Sweeney said she doesn’t get nervous filming nude scenes and that the role fundamentally changed how she sees herself. “I don’t get nervous,” she said. “I think that the female body is a very powerful thing. And I’m telling my character’s story, so I owe it to them to tell it well and to do what needs to be done.” she explained.
That sentiment has taken on new weight now that Season 3 has arrived. Cassie’s storyline in the new episodes sees her turn to OnlyFans to help finance the extravagant wedding she believes she deserves with Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi. The scenes include Sweeney posing in a baseball-themed shoot, licking ice cream as it drips down her chest, and a controversial baby pose that sparked backlash even before the season premiered.
Viewer reaction has been sharply divided, with some celebrating Cassie’s open and free spirit while others worry the show has pushed too far. The discourse, however, is nothing new for Sweeney, who has spent years navigating the complicated conversation around women and nudity in Hollywood.
She told Cosmopolitan that she didn’t feel audiences took her as seriously because of her topless scenes, noting that male actors are praised for the same work while women are often dismissed or degraded for it.
Sweeney has also consistently praised ‘Euphoria’ creator Sam Levinson for being conscientious of her comfort level, saying she has never felt uncomfortable on set and that intimacy coordinators helped create a safe environment for filming. She previously told The Independent that there were moments where she pushed back on nudity she felt was unnecessary, and that Levinson always respected her decision without question.
Away from ‘Euphoria’, Sweeney has been equally candid about not wanting to stop filming nude scenes, but has expressed a desire for audiences to engage in a more open conversation about what is assumed of actors who take on that kind of work.
She has been deliberate in separating her own identity from Cassie’s, noting that when she gets tagged in screenshots of the character’s nude scenes online, it genuinely feels like looking at someone else’s body rather than her own.
Sweeney had previously asked Levinson to give Cassie even more to work with. Season 3 appears to have answered that call in the most literal sense, delivering some of the most talked-about scenes in the show’s entire run. Whether audiences are uncomfortable or transfixed, few can argue that Sweeney isn’t fully committed to telling this character’s story to its most unflinching end.
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