Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney says people ignore her performance “because I got naked”
The White Lotus star praised Euphoria creator Sam Levinson for allowing her to cut unnecessary nude scenes
Aux News Sydney Sweeney
Acting on today’s buzziest teens-in-trouble drama means performing many uncomfortable scenes. And Euphoria lives up to its street name, “A24 Degrassi,” by putting its underage characters through the gauntlet.
But bearing it all for the camera comes at a price with few benefits, says Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney, who has found that going nude hasn’t done much to help her career. On the contrary, she told The Independent that critics ignore her performance on Euphoria because of it.
“I’m very proud of my work in Euphoria. I thought it was a great performance. But no one talks about it because I got naked,” Sweeney said. “I do The White Lotus
and all of a sudden critics are paying attention. People are loving me.
They’re going, ‘Oh my God, what’s she doing next?’ I was like, ‘Did you
not see that in Euphoria? Did you not see that in The Handmaid’s Tale?”
Unfortunately, Sweeney’s willingness to do nude scenes has often been a retelling of a familiar Hollywood story.“I’ve had experiences where I want to go home and scrub myself completely
raw because I feel disgusting,” she said. “I didn’t feel comfortable with my
castmate or the crew, and I just didn’t feel like my character would be
doing it. That made me even more self-conscious. I didn’t feel like I
was able to speak up.”
The pervasive sexist culture in entertainment thrusts nudity upon female actors under the assumption that if the performer refuses, they can lose their job or miss out on future work. Making matters worse, as Sweeney notes, gratuitousness onscreen nudity is dehumanizing. After all, it hasn’t even been a decade since Seth Macfarlane’s cringe-inducing performance of “We Saw Your Boobs” at the 2013 Oscars.
Thankfully, she’s found a comfortable collaborator in Euphoria creator Sam
Levinson, who’s willing to drop a nude scene at the request of the performer. If
the actor thinks nudity is unnecessary, Sweeney says that Levinson is
okay with people keeping their clothes on.
“Sam [Levinson] is amazing,” Sweeney said. “There are
moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam,
‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’ He was like, ‘Okay, we
don’t need it.’ I’ve never felt like Sam has pushed it on me or was
trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show. When I didn’t want to do
it, he didn’t make me.”
Thankfully, people are starting to notice Sweeney’s work on Euphoria. In addition to becoming one of the show’s most popular memes, our reviewers have praised her performance. In a recent recap for the A.V. Club, Michael-Michelle Pratt singled out Sweeney’s work. They wrote:
Sydney Sweeney continues to deliver a perfectly tempered performance
week after week, but her work here stands out for the fantasized
monologue divulging Cassie and Nate’s relationship. The writing isn’t
particularly inventive, but Sweeney is able to elevate it and embody
Cassie’s manic episode, which is captured in her morning routine. The
chaos subtly subsides as she arrives at school, but seems to reach its
pitch as she encounters the other characters.
109 Comments
Oh my God — was she the one that played Nick’s under-age wife in Handmaids!?. Oh, my!!And I think it’s ridiculous that she has to deal with this. No question she’s sexy as Hell, but there are plenty of sexy actresses we still give credit to for their acting chops. She’s earned the same kudos?!!
“And I think it’s ridiculous that she has to deal with this.”
She has to “deal with” not getting awards for taking her tits out?
Oh, poor Sydney!!!
I was trying to figure out who the hell she was on that show. I’m pretty sure she was VERY covered up on that one.
who the hell -> who in [the] hell; show -> [tele]play
There’re no gods nor Handmaids.
It’s honestly hard to fathom that the scripts in their original form have Cassie naked more than she already is.The actress is wonderful here and everywhere else (especially the cruelly-canceled Everything Sucks!). I’m glad she’s getting some critical acclaim, even though she’s stunning I’m finding myself wanting to see a little less of all of her.
There seems to be a minimum of 2 floppy dicks per episode. The latest episode even had a callback dick from the first season. There is nothing remotely sexy/enticing about the nudity in this show, especially knowing that most of the nudity is played up to be from high schoolers.
I haven’t started season two yet but much of the nudity in the first wasn’t meant to be sexy. It was meant to be raw.
That’s how I mean. None of it is sexy, just raw and real. I can see her having a concern for nudity for other projects, but for this project, I can see her being uncomfortable, but most of it is voyeuristic, painful, and assault and not comfortable to view.
Floppy dicks are ancient tech. It’s all about streaming now. 😀
ew
I know, I know. I am so ashamed.
… and here all week! Wocka wocka.
…says the guy with the 3 1/2″
I keep ‘em in a draw.
hey it’s marginally more rigid than the 5 1/4″!
Frankly I wish they were all private dicks. I don’t need to see that.
I still remember my 8-inch floppy drive back in the early 80s.
Showoff. 😉
re-read that as “floppy discs” and though the show was a period piece for a second.
There is nothing remotely sexy/enticing about the nudity in this show, especially knowing that most of the nudity is played up to be from high schoolers.I get that Cassie is the sexually messed up daddy issues character, but the show definitely lets those jugs fly to the extent that goes beyond the “plot/art” excuse and into the edgy schlock territory.
I second the other commenter who pointed out that it’s difficult to imagine a version of the script that gives Cassie even more nudity.
Hopefully they’ll chill out with Cassie now that Lexi is becoming slightly less innocent. It was painfully obvious how they played up the sisters as a Madonna and the Whore.
Aren’t most of the dicks prosthetics? I know they were for that locker scene… Which makes it a bit different.
Aren’t most of the dicks prosthetics?
They often are. Feels a little like cheating doesn’t it? Although technically, prosthetic breasts exist too. Rose Byrne utilized them in the movie Neighbors.
I only heard that about Eric Dane.
Yes, I deeply apologize if I was wrong. I coulda sworn around the time White Orchid came out with *its* prosthetic cock, there was an article that mentioned how often they were used now, when previously they primarily were used for comic effect (claiming the trend started for all the full frontal nudity on Spartacus), and said that Euphoria season 1 had used it multiple times, mentioning the locker room scene. But now I can find no such article. *holds head in shame* 😛
Yeah, they are really going all in on that. HBO in general has been doing it for a while now starting with Westworld about the time there was discussion of women getting naked, but rarely men. The Westworld happened and they had the one shot of a male “robot” with a huge member that they shot in profile that took up most of the screen. It was kind of HBO going “Ok, the old ways are out the window”. Now pretty much any Sunday 9PM series will show peen.
non sequitur
The memes are doing this show so much wonders in socials. I’m not interested in ever watching it, but I know some of the actors through the memes and their performance seem fine and I’d take notes of their names when I see them attached to other projects.
“But bearing it all for the camera…”? Were all of the copy-editors based out of Chicago too?
Maybe they had furry animals on the mind because of Wolf Like Me?
From the profile in question:“When a guy has a sex scene or shows his body, he still wins awards and gets praise. But the moment a girl does it, its’ completely different.”With all due respect, what is she talking about? Even the Seth Macfarlane song mentioned in this article features a large number of actresses who were either nominated or won for the performance mentioned. Calling out a double standard has to actually involve knowing what the double standard is.
Yeah. Kate Winslet gets naked a ton and is well respected and has won numerous awards. I get actresses don’t want to get naked and that many nude scenes are for sleazy reasons more than artistic reasons. But I think there’s more evidence getting nude will win you more awards and help your career more than staying clothed- which is a main reason why actresses often feel pressure to appear nude even if they’re not explicitly told they must.
At the very least, the idea that she’ll be written off simply as an actress who takes her clothes off doesn’t seem to have a lot behind it.
Kate Winslet didn’t start getting naked from the get go though. Well, Jude maybe? I don’t remember. But, she was always treated as a proper actor. Sweeney is young and all over the net. I don’t blame her for being like “fuck it, it’s not worth it”.
I don’t blame her for it, and she should be able to appear in films naked as little or as much as she wants without judgement. But I think the narrative, appearing nude leads to less professional respect, just doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. I may be misremembering since I haven’t seen the movie in 20 years, but I’m pretty sure Winslet was naked for a bit in Heavenly Creatures, her debut. Think we get a second of her boobs in Titanic. Jude was very naked. She was doing nude scenes from the beginning.
Ana De Armas literally got her start in trashy exploitation films.
I haven’t seen Heavenly Creatures since maybe the late 90s, but I think that was Winslet’s costar you’re thinking of. I’m pretty certain Winslet remained clothed in the film. If I’m not mistaken, the scene in question involved the other girl sleeping with some sleezy guy her mother was lodging.
Winslet was naked in Heavenly Creatures, Quills, Jude, Holy Smoke, The Reader, and even for a bit in Mare of Easttown. But she recently just announced that she won’t do nude scenes anymore:
https://nypost.com/2021/06/02/kate-winslet-admits-she-is-done-with-nude-scenes/
Also quite famously, Titanic?
Melanie Lynskey? God, I hope it’s not her I’m remembering since she was only 16 when she filmed Heavenly Creatures. But then, Thora Birch was only 16 when she went topless in American Beauty (barf) so I guess that’s possible. For some reason.
Yep, Lynskey did have a brief topless scene in Heavenly Creatures. I don’t know if it’s edited based on which version you see.
I’m fairly sure neither of the leads got their kit off in Heavenly Creatures, unless something was edited out of the US version?
“I don’t blame her for it, and she should be able to appear in films naked as little or as much as she wants without judgement.”
She doesn’t want to get naked without judgement, she wants AWARDS for it.
So based on your post, I am going to find where Jude is streaming.
“Kate Winslet didn’t start getting naked from the get go though.”
Kate Winslet was younger than Sweeney is now when she did Titanic.
Kate Winslet’s first role was in a movie that she got nude in.
A ton I tells ya!
Well, the internet says Kate Winslet weighs 139 pounds (how does it know? Does she have a 2nd career as a boxer?) So for her nudity to equal a ton she would have had to appear naked in 14.38 films. Looking at her filmography in imdb I only get to 7 I know for a fact, which might suggest I exaggerated, though there are many I didn’t see or I might not remember so it might get up to a ton worth of nudity by that metric.But you could also use per nude scene. Then it would easily reach a ton. However, if you only counted the whole weight when there was full nudity, such as in Jude, and only half weight when topless or bare-assed, then it’s highly unlikely she would reach a ton of nudity. Unless of course you did a hybrid system using half weights but also each individual nude scene within the movie.Anyway, she might have been nude a ton.
I don’t remember anything about that song except when he’s running through the list of topless actresses and gets to “and Kate Winslet, in whatever she’s filming now!” which absolutely cracked me up. The whole thing was very on-brand for McFarlane and I can’t figure out why anyone was the least bit surprised.
If you’re looking for intelligence among the Kotaku writing staff, the good ones left a LONG time ago.,
“When a guy has a sex scene or shows his body, he still wins awards and gets praise. But the moment a girl does it, its’ completely different.”
With all due respect, nobody has gotten an award BECAUSE they got naked, and not everyone who takes their tits out gets an award. What kind of idiotic argument is she trying to make? Everyone who gets naked deserves a reward?
You’d think the fact you can’t think of any nude scenes from award winning male actors but can think of ones from women off the top of your head is a sign of the problem.(Also, that song sucked. I dunno if the women he referenced knew that song was coming, but man the cringe was visible.)
With all the jump-cuts, vaseline’d lenses, and close-ups this show features, I would imagine it would be pretty easy to sub in a body double if they wanted to.
The camera has lingered on her breasts so much on this show and others that, quite frankly, they’re recognizable. I feel like when you can seriously distinguish one actress’s breasts (and frankly if I recall correctly she was only 18 or 19 when that started to be a thing) that definitively, it’s too much. Now I feel like I’m 80 years old saying this, but… it’s a lot.
I was trying to explain my complicated feelings around the “troubled, luminous, and often naked” triumvirate that has come to define Sweeney’s performances when I introduced him to Euphoria this weekend. I guess it comes down to her being increasingly cast in modern Ophelia-type roles that invite the audience to ogle her both her vulnerability and her nubile body. I’m sure Levinson would say he’s taking the trope to extremes in order to interrogate it or some similar B.S. Also said to my friend while we were watching Season 2, Episode 3: “Wow. This really is an extremely naked episode, even by Euphoria standards.”
him = the friend I was introducing to Euphoria, ugh late night comments
Sweeney would have been 21 when the first season filmed. Not much of a difference but a little.
On this show, but I was referring to earlier topless scenes she was having to do elsewhere
Ah, I never saw her before Euphoria.
I can’t recognize her breasts! I need to pay more attention.
You sure that was Vaseline?
Am I the only one who thinks she’s coming across as a bit smug and arrogant here? Yes? Okay.
I didn’t want to say it but I kind of agree. She’s been in some very acclaimed and popular projects, I wonder if any lack of attention has more to do with her still being an emerging actor in ensemble shows than being written off for doing nudity. Or maybe she’s just reacting to the worst of the internet and the lecherous trolls are getting to her. Either way she’s a good actor and should have a career ahead… The acclaim will come.Honestly I don’t think nudity helps or hurts an actor’s career in 2022. Not being willing to go there may limit their options a bit but I don’t think it tarnishes your image or means you won’t be taken seriously.
Her comment seems to boil down to, “the nudity is why people aren’t talking about my amazing peformance!”
Exactly. Not every actor is praised for each role they play. Doesn’t mean they are bad but just not standouts. I know someone has to hae a bit of an ego to be an actor but this seems a little too self centered. Like they expect to get awards and praise for everything they do.
actor !-> they; 1 != 2; dolt
Depends what she does with it. Margot Robbie attracted a whole lot of attention going full frontal for Wolf of Wall Street but these days isn’t really known for skinning off, though it’s hard to ignore her incredible good looks.
I mean, Helen Mirren showed them thangs early in her career I don’t think it lowered anyone’s opinion of her acting.
Seriously Helen Mirren was naked so frequently, it’s like her breasts were afraid of the dark (h/t Coupling)
At first glance, she’s successful and now apparently getting recognition and critical acclaim at just 24 and she’s still complaining, so yeah, I agree.
You should have learned years ago not to form opinions on what tone of voice or body language might have been behind an interview, when you just read the write-up version of it in a gossip blog.
Fair, but is there a tone of voice or body language that would mitigate, “I did great work, please praise me!”?
Youthful enthusiasm?
sure.
Maybe critics aren’t noticing her work because she’s not in a tv show for adults.
I haven’t seen the show, but based upon comments here and what little I’ve read elsewhere, it’s a LOT of nudity. A beautiful unclothed woman is going to attract attention and commentary.
And a lot of her nude scenes are not just borderline gratuitous at times in terms of frequency, but a lot of it is the camera also lingers on her parts to almost Larry Clark levels. It’s nudity that calls attention to itself, so it is getting attention as a result. But I get her beef though, because Euphoria knows how to make headlines, but it’s also well-crafted.
Then don’t do nude scenes. If your goal of being famous overrides your personal ethics and morals then you get what you deserve. People’s views of Hollywood and fame are so fucked up. You decided to agree to do the scenes, so own it. But don’t come crying later and acting like a victim. You could have left the set at any time if you didn’t feel comfortable and you read the scripts so you knew what was coming. If it didn’t make you feel dirty when you read the script then what’s the issue now? I think it’s more of a case of someone that isn’t very good at what they do thinking they should be getting praise that isn’t deserved. She isn’t Judy Dench, she’s some 20ish kid that’s done a couple mediocre projects and acts like she deserves awards.
“After all, it hasn’t even been a decade since Seth Macfarlane’s cringe-inducing performance of “We Saw Your Boobs” at the 2013 Oscars.”AKA the only good Oscars in a long time.
That song was terrible. You’ve got a bunch of actresses celebrating their success and here’s a dude singing about their tits.
You also can’t really call something cringe when it was purposeful.
I can’t imagine how much fun he must have had doing that, then savoring the reaction.
– “Flight” crash scene done with puppets- Seth Flying Nun skit with Sally Field- The Sound of Music gagBoobie song aside, that was a fun/weird Oscars
Yeah like it was done by people who are good at humor and fun things in general.
The “We Saw Your Boobs” song was also part of an alternate-reality gag that showed how badly Seth was doing as a host, and some of the people mentioned in the song participated to make ‘he’s such an awful host’ mugging faces. The whole thing was an in-joke that a lot of people missed, inadvertently or not.
Yep and it was a really good joke at that. I don’t like to complain about ‘kids these days’ type of stuff but the one thing I can complain about is people are really bad with subtleties these days, I think it’s because schools don’t teach as many critical thinking skills as they used to.
I like her talents as an actor and i like her body.Thats the crux of all this.They can be mutually exclusive. If someone cant see past her body for the sake of her acting talents, thats on them. Nothing to do with if she herself is nude.
Can we double back to how we’ve got a show about teenagers that plays up nude scenes and sex scenes?Yeah the actors are all adults but still….uh….
Can we double back to how we’ve got a show about teenagers that plays up nude scenes and sex scenes?Yeah the actors are all adults but still….uh….
Honestly thought at first the show’s creator was the Beekeeper.
Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Holly Hunter, Susan Sarandon and Charlize Theron all have Best Actress and they’ve been nekkid plenty. Laura Dern, Anne Hathaway, Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Connelly, Rachel Weisz, and Angelina Jolie all have Supporting Actress wins.
If she’s good, she’ll win acclaim. If she’s not, she’ll be a great search on Celebrity Movie Archive and other sites.
This strikes me as very strategically worded content from the show’s marketing/PR department.
“Attractive actress says her NUDITY is distracting people from her AMAZING PERFORMANCE.”
You don’t say…
Come for the nudity (haha), stay for the acting!
I ignore her performance in Euphoria because no matter what you have them do, I don’t care about high schoolers lives
There are a lot of weird double-standards and hand-wringing over Sydney Sweeney’s nude scenes versus, say, Kate Winslet, but I think it comes down to the fact that Sydney Sweeney’s breast are spectacular looking by most any conventional opinion, male or female, gay or straight. She’s really blessed in that department and people feel like they have to pretend they are ignoring that reality for fear it means they don’t respect her acting. They are not mutually exclusive. The lady can f***ing act and she’s hot as hell, and face it, her breasts are spectacular. Liking them or exhibiting them is nothing to be ashamed of from her or a fan’s perspective. And kudos to her for taking control of her career in regards to not overdoing the nude scenes.
gay:coy -> queer(uranian, lesbian, pandèmian):straiht
nope sorry, sam levinson is still a creep. like why does a near 40 year old cishet white man the sole person writing and directing the stories of teen sex? why does he have actors playing teenagers dress up like they’re 30 year old women going to the club? why could this show not be about college aged women?fuck that show and fuck the creepy man who makes it. i feel sorry for the cast and crew that they’re stockholm syndromed into praising a creepy man who is obsessed with teen sex
Hunter Schafer advised and wrote also. Also die, ageist—as if age-peer-writers don’t become a creep for the same content.
We want and are proud to show TITS!…. until we are NOT!!!!!!!!
I for one applaud her commitment to nuditity Art should be honest
If she was European, no one would bat an eye.
Warning: features graphaphic nuditity
She should go full Joe Shishido, get plastic surgery to make herself more attractive so she’d get more serious roles.
(I don’t actually want her to do this, I just wanted an excuse to talk about Joe Shishido.)
most of the comments here are pretty gross and sexistehwhat did i expect
No shit?
I think Sweeney is one of the best female actors we have, and she has been cast with some very good male actresses.Oops—should I have said “they?”
Who’s, shit-head, unless bad pun
But bearing it all for the camera comes at a price with few benefitsBy that do you mean she was “carrying it all for the camera,” or “applying bears to it all for the camera”?