How Sydney Sweeney Had To Fight To Get Her Role On Euphoria

Sydney Sweeney has been hustling hard to cement her place in Hollywood. She first gained mainstream recognition in her role as Emaline in Netflix's "Everything Sucks," and everything snowballed after that. The actor found herself bagging several big-ticket projects, including "The Handmaid's Tale," "Sharp Objects," "The White Lotus," and of course, "Euphoria."

Before she made it big, Sweeney revealed she had been discouraged from pursuing acting entirely. People in the industry made her believe that she didn't have the "right look" to be a TV star. "A casting director told me once that I will never be on a TV show," she said in an interview with British GQ. "Now, I'm on some of the biggest TV shows in the world."

In fact, she almost didn't get what would be her breakout role on "Euphoria." Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Sweeney opened up about how she nearly missed out on the chance to star in the hit HBO show.

"Euphoria" made Sydney Sweeney a star, but according to the actor, she was never a shoo-in for the role of Cassie — not even close, in fact. She only managed to secure the job when she made the effort to jump through some hoops.

In an interview with Deadline, she shared how she connected with the character to the point that she felt like she was the only one who could do it justice. "I felt like I knew exactly who Cassie was and I was worried that someone else might just come in and play her as the blonde girl and the sex symbol, because there's so much more to her," she shared. "I wanted people to be able to see that there is so much more depth to characters like that. And I knew I'd be able to find the depth in a character like that. And I hope people have seen that."

Sweeney also revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that the show's casting director initially didn't think she was the right fit for the character. She was told not to bother with auditioning, but she went for it anyway. Fortunately, her agents had other clients who had access to the script, so she got her hands on it, and taped an audition with her mother. The rest, as they say, is history. "No hate to the casting director," she clarified. "I love her now."

Despite "Euphoria" making Sydney Sweeney a bonafide celebrity, she admits that it has its drawbacks, especially in relation to how she shows some skin on the show. The actor expressed frustration over how some fans can't recognize her talent because she strips on TV.

"Cassie is a sexualized character, and that became a mold that was then [forced] onto me as a human being," she told The Hollywood Reporter in a separate interview. "I was seeing people say, 'Oh, she only got this because she showed her boobs.' I had multiple shows and movies before I even did Euphoria. I look very different in everything I do because I want to become the character individually." She echoed the same sentiment in an interview with the Independent, highlighting how there's a stigma surrounding female actors who "get naked" on screen. "I'm very proud of my work in Euphoria... But no one talks about it because I got naked," she admitted. "I do The White Lotus and all of a sudden critics are paying attention... I was like, 'Did you not see that in Euphoria?"

But she hopes that, one day, people can recognize her for her actual talent, and not the fact that she's not afraid to get naked on TV. "I have no problems with those scenes, and I won't stop doing them," she said. "But I wish there was an easier way to have an open conversation about what we're assuming about actors in the industry."