‘The White Lotus’: Sydney Sweeney’s Age Compared to Her Character, Olivia Mossbacher’s
Sydney Sweeney’s resume is stacked. In addition to HBO’s The White Lotus, she’s one of the stars of Euphoria and had an unforgettable supporting role in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2. But what is Sweeney’s age? And how old is she in comparison to her character in The White Lotus, Olivia Mossbacher?
Sydney Sweeney’s age in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘Euphoria’
Let’s be real, Sweeney is having a moment. She has starred in some of the biggest TV shows in recent years, like The Handmaid’s Tale, Sharp Objects, Euphoria, and now The White Lotus. And she’s appeared in successful films as well, like Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood.
Her birthday is Sept. 12, 1997, making Sweeney 23 years old. When she played Nick Blaine’s first wife, Sweeney was 20 years old. But Eden was 15. This thankfully made the scenes she had to film with Max Minghella more appropriate. The Handmaid’s Tale had another child bride in season 4 in Mckenna Grace’s Mrs. Esther Keyes, who was 14. In comparison, Grace was 14 when she filmed season 4. In Euphoria Season 1, Sweeney played 18-year-old Cassie Howard. She was around 21 years old when filming the debut season, which also featured her White Lotus co-star Lukas Gage.
Despite her current success, Sweeney wasn’t an instant hit when she started acting. But she’s grateful for not having found success when she was a teenager. She told SBJCT Journal:
“I think I’m glad that I didn’t hit my success as a teen or child because I wouldn’t have been ready or as confident in myself as I am today. I was in front of more casting cameras than actual cameras growing up, and as much as I loved it and learned so much from that, it tears you down as a teen girl. You get told ‘no’ so many times, and then add on top just being a teen girl in itself and discovering who you are is its own thing.”
How old are Olivia and Paula in ‘The White Lotus’?
Sweeney shares most of her scenes in The White Lotus with Brittany O’Grady, who plays Paula. The Mossbacher family brought Paula on their family vacation to the Hawaiian resort. And Olivia and Paula switch between being besties and enemies on a dime.
Sweeney and O’Grady’s performances have gripped fans online, who think they’re pretty terrifying. The girls can deliver searingly hot takes on social justice issues at the drop of a hat, which makes Olivia’s parents — the woefully unprepared Nicole and Mark Mossbacher (Connie Britton and Steve Zahn) — extremely uncomfortable. But the dark side of their friendship proves their bond isn’t as strong as they portray it to be.
Olivia and Paula are college sophomores in The White Lotus, which would make them around 19 to 20 years old. Sweeney being 23 and O’Grady being 25 makes them not much older than their characters. And boy, have they nailed their portrayals of them. O’Grady said Olivia and Paula’s shared experiences at school made them friends, but their friendship might not make it to graduation.
O’Grady told NYLON:
“In the world of the vacation, I think she was just excited to go to a really nice place with her friend and benefit from it, but now she’s starting to realize it’s not worth it. It’s not worth the nice pool or the free food or the luxurious hotel. It just doesn’t align with her purpose and how she views the world. I think that’s where their relationship actually starts to crumble. The reality starts to come to the surface, and unfolds in such a dynamic way.”
When do new episodes of ‘The White Lotus’ air?
Sweeney does a great job of making Olivia’s threatening side clear in The White Lotus Season 1. She advocates for her friend in front of other people when needed — and acts like a fierce advocate at that. But in their moments alone, Olivia is manipulative and plotting.
Paula is hyperaware of Olivia’s jealousy when it comes to dating (Olivia intentionally ruined one of Paula’s past romantic relationships). And while Olivia acts like a “good” rich person who defends the marginalized, her wealth and privilege still give her an improper sense of self-importance that she uses against her closest friend.
Fans will have to wait and see if the storm brewing between Olivia and Paula results in one of the college sophomores dying at the White Lotus resort like the first episode teased. The season finale of The White Lotus Season 1 airs Sunday, Aug. 15, at 9 pm EST on HBO. The episode will be available to stream on HBO Max at the same time.
