Sydney Sweeney Says People Hated Her ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Character for Interfering With Nick and June’s Relationship

Sydney Sweeney played Eden in season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale, which premiered on Hulu in 2018. Sweeney’s character Eden was married to Nick Blaine (Max Minghella) as a young teenager, showcasing the horrors of Gilead and also acting as a roadblock to Nick’s relationship with June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss).

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sweeney admitted some fans of Nick and June’s relationship made it clear they did not like Eden while Sweeney was on the show.

Sydney Sweeney appeared in season 2 of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

A consistent subplot throughout The Handmaid’s Tale is the romantic relationship between Nick and June. At the start of the series, Nick was a driver for the Waterford family while June was assigned to the family as a Handmaid.

Over the course of the first season, Nick and June fall in love, and it’s revealed that June is pregnant with Nick’s child in the season finale. Nick attempts to help June escape Gilead at the start of the second season, but June is eventually caught and brought back to the Waterford house.

In an effort to punish Nick and June for their relationship, Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski) arrange for Nick to be married.

Because of Eden’s young age, Nick keeps her at a distance. As a character, Eden shows how young women are when they are married off in Gilead, and her piousness represents her upbringing in Gilead.

When Eden falls in love and runs away with a young Guardian named Isaac (Rohan Mead), both characters are sentenced to death.

Sydney Sweeney knows some fans of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ did not like her character

Aside from some of the show’s antagonists, a great deal of The Handmaid’s Tale characters are presented as complicated and nuanced. When Eden was introduced in season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale, her character was met with pity, annoyance, and compassion from fans.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sweeney revealed that her role as Eden made her recognizable in public, and not all of the fans who approached her were complimentary of her character.

“I think most people wanted Elisabeth’s [Moss] and Max’s characters to be together, and Eden disrupted that,” Sweeney told The Hollywood Reporter.

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ will return for season 5

At the upcoming 2022 Emmy Awards, Sweeney received nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus, respectively.

While Sweeney has moved on from her supporting role as Eden, The Handmaid’s Tale has continued as one of the most popular original shows on Hulu.

Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale will premiere on Hulu on Sept. 14.