Sydney Sweeney Says Playing High Schoolers Is Her Form of Therapy
At age 24, Sydney Sweeney is a full-blown adult. She has a professional career, is a new homeowner, and recently got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Jonathan Davino. But if you’ve watched some of the actor’s most popular projects, it’d be incredibly easy to mistake her for someone much younger. That’s because the Washington native typically portrays high school students.
Sydney Sweeney hasn’t actually played her age yet
Thus far, the closest Sweeney has come to playing someone her own age was in The Voyeurs. In the film, she portrayed Pippa, an ophthalmologist. However, in her more high-profile projects, she’s portrayed much younger characters. In The Handmaid’s Tale, she portrayed a 15-year-old child bride, Eden. Meanwhile, she plays a high school student in Euphoria, Everything Sucks! and her upcoming show, The Players Table.
But Sweeney doesn’t seem to mind playing characters who are much younger in age. In fact, the actor feels that there’s something quite cathartic about it. In an interview with Magazine C, the actor-producer revealed that her high school years were atypical because she was pursuing a career in acting. Thus, she now uses her acting opportunities as a sort of revisionist history.
The ‘Euphoria’ actor explains that playing high schoolers is her form of therapy
“My own high school years were not a normal experience,” Sweeney explained. “I never went to a football game or a dance. There was a year when I missed 117 days of school. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to stop playing high schoolers until I’ve lived all the high school experiences that I want to. It’s like my own therapy for myself.”
But who was Sweeney in high school? The Sharp Objects alum was a far cry from many of her outlandish characters. In fact, the actor was a self-proclaimed nerd. “I was a straight-A student in all AP classes,” the Fifty-Fifty Films founder explained. “I was valedictorian. I never went to a high school party. I’ve never done drugs, to this day.”
Sweeney has no problem playing younger characters
Though Sweeney doesn’t mind playing high school students, it does get to be a bit bizarre sometimes. However, she’s quick to point out that, in Hollywood, it’s very typical to play characters who are younger in age.
“I have the financial responsibilities of a full-blown adult, but at work I’m in a high school hallway on set,” Sweeney explained. “It definitely plays with your mind. People say, ‘I can’t believe she’s still playing a teenager.’ But older always plays younger. Thirty-year-olds are always going to play 25. I go out and audition for 20-year-old projects, and they say I’m too young! Admittedly, I still feel like I’m a teenager sometimes.”
Sweeney may feel like a teen, but she’s accomplished more than many adults at a very young age. We’re sure her fans are interested to see what roles she takes on next.
