Sydney Sweeney speaks out on being sexualized since high school for ‘having boobs’

Sydney Sweeney has become one of the most sought-after actresses thanks to break-out performances in shows such as Euphoria and The Voyeurs, but feels a depressing commonality between her and her characters.

Sweeney was a recent double-nominee at the Emmys for her performances in both The White Lotus and Euphoria, with it helping launch her into a cinematic contender. Currently filming for the Sony Spider-Man spin-off Madame Web, Sweeney has also been picked to headline a reboot of Barbarella.

The massive rise in fame coincided with her character of Cassie in Euphoria. A character who is realizing who she is, and how she relates to her sexuality, Sweeney says there’d been a certain irony in how people have misconstrued the character. The 25-year-old says, just like her character Cassie, she was massively sexualized since high school, during an interview with Elle.

“I was highly sexualized in high school because I had boobs. It’s kind of funny: What was being said about Cassie in Euphoria, the public then decided to do to me in real life. Which I thought was so crazy, because we were trying to show a character who was so hypersexualized, and what could have been the cause and effects for her. And they just continue to do it.”

The actress has been vocal in the past about how she’s been perceived in media, as well as commenting on the usage of sex scenes in media. Sweeney addressed the importance of on-set intimacy coordinators, saying they’re important to have and are very collaborative.

“We are in such a great time right now in the industry where we have intimacy coordinators, and I’ve always felt comfortable with mine. They’re very collaborative and very supportive. I think it’s important for every set to have one.”

It’s a topic that became more public after Sean Bean dismissed the role of intimacy coordinators on set, something which subsequently saw him hounded and out of touch with modern filmmaking. It’s a very recent crew addition, with the role being more important after the swathe of troubling stories around sexual misconduct on set.

Sweeney will soon be portraying one of the comic book industry’s most sexually charged characters, with her set to portray Barbarella for Sony. The character is known for sexually-charged space adventures, and befriending an “orgasmatron”. No date has been confirmed yet for the film.

The Euphoria star’s next blockbuster release will be Madame Web, which is set to release Feb. 16, 2024.