Sydney Sweeney Feels She Didn’t Get Enough Critical Attention in ‘Euphoria’ Season 1
With a cast as large as Euphoria’s, it can be hard for an actor to stand out. But Sydney Sweeney managed to do just that in the sophomore season of Euphoria. Fans watched as her character, Cassie Howard, seemingly self-imploded, ruining nearly all of her relationships for a shot at romantic love. And viewers weren’t the only ones paying attention. Sweeney also got some love from critics, scoring the first of two Emmy nominations for the role.
Sydney Sweeney’s character, Cassie Howard, had an intense arc in ‘Euphoria’ Season 1
But it seems as if Sweeney felt that her recognition for Euphoria was a bit overdue. While her character was more heavily featured in season 2, Cassie did have a pretty intense arc in season 1. The teenager dealt with parental issues, slut-shaming, an abortion, non-consensual sexual activity, drugs, public masturbation, and more in the first season. However, Sweeney feels that her performance in the show was overlooked because it required nude scenes. In fact, the Washington native feels that she didn’t start seeing true appreciation for her work until she starred in The White Lotus, which didn’t require nudity.
The MMA fighter feels she didn’t receive attention until she was cast in ‘The White Lotus’
“With The White Lotus, I felt like people were finally recognizing the hard work I’ve been doing,” Sweeney told The Independent. “This is something that has bothered me for a while. I’m very proud of my work in Euphoria. I thought it was a great performance. But no one talks about it because I got naked. I do The White Lotus, and all of a sudden critics are paying attention. People are loving me. They’re going, ‘Oh my God, what’s she doing next?’ I was like, ‘Did you not see that in Euphoria?’”
In a separate interview with Cosmopolitan, Sweeney explained that she was a bit confused by the amount of praise she received for Olivia in juxtaposition to Cassie in Season 1. She explained that she felt the nude scenes prevented people from recognizing the work that she did on Euphoria.
Sweeney feels that her nude scenes in ‘Euphoria’ stopped people from taking her work seriously
“I don’t think as many people took me seriously in Euphoria because I took my shirt off,” Sweeney shared. “With The White Lotus, all of a sudden, all these people came out of the woodwork like, “You’re the most amazing…” and I’m like, ‘But I went through the craziest emotional roller coaster in Euphoria.’ So, thanks?”
It’s hard to say if Sweeney’s hypothesis rings true. Certainly, she received her fair share of attention for Euphoria Season 2 regardless of the nude scenes it required. However, the sophomore season premiered months after the MMA fighter received buzz for her performance on The White Lotus. One could argue that her performance on another hit show allowed people to pay closer attention to her portrayal of Cassie.
Sweeney has plenty of upcoming movies and TV shows for critics to evaluate
With a number of upcoming projects in the works (The Players Table, Madame Web, and National Anthem, to name a few), Sweeney will have plenty of opportunities to keep the attention of critics. She will also return for Euphoria Season 3, which will likely require more nudity. As Sweeney continues gaining traction in her career, it’ll be interesting to see which projects gain the attention of critics and viewers alike.
