Skip to main content

Sydney Sweeney is an actor who is becoming more and more familiar to TV lovers everywhere. Sweeney has in fact been acting for over a decade, but one of her first recognizable roles came when she was cast as Eden in The Handmaid’s Tale. Sweeney was only 20 years old at the time and was still taking college classes. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to get credit for one of her college classes due to filming The Handmaid’s Tale.

Sydney Sweeney attends the premiere of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale Season 2 at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 19, 2018 in Hollywood, California. Sweeney wears a dress with black straps and dangly earrings.
Sydney Sweeney | Emma McIntyre/Getty Images Hulu

Sydney Sweeney played Eden Spencer in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

At only 24 years old, Sydney Sweeney has an impressive amount of acting credits under her belt. Earlier in her career, she made guest appearances in Criminal Minds, Grey’s Anatomy, and Pretty Little Liars, according to IMDb. Then in 2018 Sweeney was cast as Eden in The Handmaid’s Tale.

Eden is the child-bride of Nick Blaine who is paired with her in a mass marriage ceremony. Eden seems devout and subservient and she tries hard to make Nick happy. However, Nick pays little attention to her, and she ends up developing feelings for Isaac, the Waterford’s new Guardian.

Eden and Isaac eventually decide to run away together, but they are caught and sentenced to death not long after. Both refuse to repent and are publicly executed by being drowned in a swimming pool.

Sweeney wasn’t allowed to finish one of her college classes due to filming the show

Sweeney was only 20 years old when she began filming for The Handmaid’s Tale. At the same time, the actor was working on getting a business degree. Unfortunately, her work on the show ended up causing her to not get credit for one of her classes.

“My finals came along and I was in Toronto and everyone over at Hulu was so kind and they let me go back for my finals,” Sweeney said on The Drew Barrymore Show. “I walk into my entertainment law class and my professor goes, ‘What are you doing here?’ and I said ‘What do you mean? I’m here to take my final.’ He goes, ‘No you’re not,'” Sweeney continued.

Related

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Sydney Sweeney’s Ideas About Eden Influenced the Writer’s Room

“Apparently, all the kids were upset that I was able to miss so many days of school and still succeed even though I made Dean’s List every semester for two years, and he didn’t let me take the final and I never got credit.”

Sweeney’s advice for aspiring actors in college

Although Sweeney had this rather unfair experience in college, the actor still works hard and education is clearly very important to her. In a 2018 interview with Her Campus, the actor gave some advice for aspiring actors who are in college. “Hard work pays off, the harder you work the more people will notice,” she told the outlet. “You also have to really love it, it’s such a tough and brutal industry, with a lot of people trying to bring you down. Stay strong, and focused.”

All episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale are currently streaming on Hulu.

Best in Entertainment