‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Sydney Sweeney Was ‘Crazy Nervous’ for Her Audition; ‘It’s Max, He’s Cute’
Sydney Sweeney hadn’t watched any of The Handmaid’s Tale the day her audition for Eden came in. However, she knew that playing the pious, true believer of Gilead was the opportunity of a lifetime. The Hulu series had become wildly popular in its first season, winning numerous awards including eight Emmys. So, naturally, Sweeney jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the sophomore season of the show.
Sydney Sweeney binged watched ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ when she got an audition for the show
It’s no secret that Sweeney’s acting process includes a lot of preparation. The day she got her audition for Eden, she and her mother binged the entire first season of The Handmaid’s Tale. This helped the Euphoria star understand the tone of the show she was auditioning for and gave her clues as to how she should approach the character.
How the Emmy nominee prepared for her audition for Eden
Taking cues from the show, Sweeney opted to dress in character for her first audition. She chose a very modest floor-length gown in a muted grey. Instead of wearing makeup, she went bare-faced. And she even learned to braid her hair the way women in The Handmaid’s Tale did. Fortunately, for Sweeney, her attention to detail paid off, and she progressed to the next round of auditions.
When preparing for her second audition, The Players Table producer armed herself with even more information. She picked up Margaret Atwood’s eponymous novel, which serves as the basis for The Handmaid’s Tale, and read it. This, once again, helped Sweeney progress in the audition process for the coveted role of Eden.
Sweeney was super nervous for her screen test for ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ with castmate, Max Minghella
Sweeney’s third and final audition was a screen test with Max Minghella. Fans of The Handmaid’s Tale will recall that Minghella portrays Nick Blaine in the series. Because the bulk of Eden’s scenes centered around her relationship with Nick, Sweeney had to prove that she had on-screen chemistry with Minghella in addition to acting chops. Turns out, this was the part of the audition process that left Sweeney the most fearful.
“I was so crazy nervous,” Sweeney recalled to The Last Magazine about her final audition for The Handmaid’s Tale. “It’s Max, he’s cute, and I was freaking out that I was going to mess up. I have horrible stage fright.” Fortunately, Sweeney managed to shove down her nerves long enough to make an impression, and she booked the role.
Sweeney became good friends with Minghella
While Minghella may have initially made Sweeney nervous, the pair ended up becoming good friends. During the six months that Sweeney worked on The Handmaid’s Tale, they developed a close bond. While the subject matter of their show was dark, when the cameras weren’t rolling, they were goofing off. The pair even listened to Taylor Swift together. Clearly, Sweeney’s scene partner and the cast and crew of the show were able to quell any lingering nerves that she may have had.
