Sweeney has become a major name in Hollywood and around the world, beginning her career in series such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Sharp Objects before landing major roles in The Housemaid and Anyone But You. The actress has faced many controversies in recent years, from the characters she portrays to her dating history and even her political alignment.
Hollywood · Rising Star Dossier How Well Do You Know Sydney Sweeney? From Euphoria to the big screen — test your knowledge
🎡EuphoriaCassie Howard
🏜White LotusOlivia Mossbacher
📸Anyone But YouBea
🎬RealityWinner
⛫ImmaculateSister Cecilia
01
Sydney Sweeney’s breakout role on HBO’s “Euphoria” earned her widespread recognition. What is the name of her character on the show?
✓ Correct! Sydney plays Cassie Howard, the emotionally vulnerable and people-pleasing teen whose turbulent love life becomes a central storyline. Her Season 2 performance — especially the iconic bathroom meltdown scenes — earned her an Emmy nomination.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Cassie Howard. Rue Bennett is Zendaya’s character, Maddy Perez is played by Alexa Demie, and Lexi Howard (Cassie’s sister) is played by Maude Apatow. Sydney’s Cassie became one of Season 2’s most talked-about characters.
02
In the first season of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” Sydney plays a sharp, judgmental college student vacationing in Hawaii. What is her character’s name?
✓ Correct! Sydney plays Olivia Mossbacher, the privileged and intellectually pretentious daughter of the Mossbacher family. Her deadpan delivery and snobbish attitude made Olivia a fan-favorite character in Mike White’s satirical hit.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Olivia Mossbacher. Rachel is Alexandra Daddario’s character, Paula is Brittany O’Grady’s role (Olivia’s best friend), and Quinn is Olivia’s younger brother. Sydney’s Olivia steals every scene with her cutting commentary.
03
Before her major breakout, Sydney appeared in a critically acclaimed Hulu series based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel. Which show was it?
✓ Correct! Sydney played Eden Spencer in Season 2 of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a devout and obedient young bride in the oppressive Gilead regime. Despite being a recurring role, her performance was emotionally devastating and showed her dramatic range early on.
✗ Not quite! The answer is The Handmaid’s Tale. Sydney played Eden Spencer, a 15-year-old bride in Gilead during Season 2. It was one of her first major prestige TV roles and demonstrated the dramatic talent that would later explode with Euphoria.
04
Sydney starred in the surprise rom-com hit “Anyone But You” (2023). Which actor plays her love interest, Ben, in the film?
✓ Correct! Glen Powell plays Ben opposite Sydney’s Bea in this modern retelling inspired by Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The film became a sleeper box office hit, earning over $220 million worldwide and reviving the theatrical rom-com genre.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Glen Powell. While Jacob Elordi is Sydney’s Euphoria co-star, it’s Glen Powell who plays her enemies-to-lovers match in “Anyone But You.” The film’s massive success was credited to their electric chemistry.
05
Sydney starred in and produced the 2024 horror film “Immaculate.” Where is the film primarily set?
✓ Correct! “Immaculate” is set in a remote Italian convent where Sydney plays Sister Cecilia, a young American nun who discovers the institution harbors terrifying secrets. Sydney also served as a producer on the film, marking a significant step in her behind-the-camera career.
✗ Not quite! The answer is a remote convent in the Italian countryside. Sydney plays Sister Cecilia, a devout young nun who travels to Italy only to find herself trapped in a nightmare. The film was shot on location in Italy and showcased Sydney’s range as both star and producer.
06
Sydney made Emmy history in 2022 by earning two acting nominations in the same year for two different HBO shows. “Euphoria” was one — what was the other?
✓ Correct! In 2022, Sydney earned a Supporting Actress nomination for “Euphoria” and a Limited Series Supporting Actress nomination for “The White Lotus” — both on HBO. Being double-nominated across two of the network’s biggest shows cemented her as one of the most in-demand young actresses in Hollywood.
✗ Not quite! The answer is The White Lotus. Sydney’s dual nominations for Euphoria and The White Lotus in the same Emmy cycle was a remarkable achievement. Both shows were critical and commercial hits for HBO, and Sydney was central to each.
07
In the 2023 HBO film “Reality,” Sydney plays a real-life person — an NSA whistleblower who leaked classified documents to the press. Who did she portray?
✓ Correct! Sydney portrays Reality Winner, the former Air Force linguist and NSA contractor who was arrested in 2017 for leaking a classified report on Russian election interference. The film recreates her FBI interrogation using actual transcript recordings and was praised for Sydney’s riveting, restrained performance.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Reality Winner. The HBO film is based on the real FBI interrogation of Reality Winner, who leaked classified intelligence documents. Sydney’s intense, dialogue-driven performance was widely praised as some of her finest dramatic work.
08
Beyond acting, Sydney is known for an unusual hobby she’s been passionate about since she was a teenager, even earning a competition-level certification. What is it?
✓ Correct! Sydney is famously a trained MMA fighter and a gearhead who restores classic cars. She’s been passionate about mixed martial arts since high school and has also shared her love of working on vintage automobiles — hobbies that surprised fans who only knew her from her on-screen roles.
✗ Not quite! The answer is MMA training and restoring vintage cars. Sydney trained in MMA as a teenager and still practices. She’s also a self-taught mechanic who restores classic cars in her spare time — she’s shared her work on social media, showing there’s much more to her than meets the eye.
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Creator of the hit series Euphoria, Sam Levinson, opened up about Sweeney’s role in the third and final season as the ever-controversial Cassie Howard and her explicit scenes shown throughout season 3. In an interview with The New York Times, Levinson opened up about some interesting revelations, including his relationship with the actress and how she felt while performing many R-rated scenes throughout Euphoria‘s final season:
“Well, it’s funny. When I first wrote it, I was like, ‘Maybe we shoot all of this, and we don’t have any nudity. Maybe there’s ways to shoot around certain things?’ And she looked at me, and she was like, ‘Are you kidding? I’m playing an OnlyFans model. You’re telling me you’re going to, like, skirt around it?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, OK, that’s a fair point.'”
Cassie’s character arc during Euphoria showed her transform into a picture-perfect housewife to Nate Jacobs (played by Jacob Elordi), but it didn’t take long for the cracks to form, as before, the wedding signs of money troubles hung over the young couple. Cassie began finding ways to make money on her own, including joining OnlyFans and posting controversial content that real-life OnlyFans creators have since shunned.
The Euphoria creator praised Sweeney as being “totally fearless” and said, “There’s a lot of trust that we have. And look, we’re tackling this world of OnlyFans where women are being paid to, like, whisper into an ear-shaped microphone. There is a level of absurdity to it that is just fun, and we’re always trying to come up with ways to make it feel authentic and humorous and dramatic and also speak to the larger wants and wishes of the character.“
Levinson was also questioned about the endless nude scenes in the series and, in particular, during the first two seasons, when the main characters were still shown attending high school. The creator responded and stated:
“From the script, you get a sense of what the role requires.
Even when you go up to audition, let’s use the role of Cassie, you know the role requires a certain amount of nudity. Are you comfortable? If they’re comfortable, they get the role, then the next layer is the intimacy coordinator. I think it’s a SAG rule that if an actor then says, after getting cast, ‘Actually, I don’t want to do that,’ we can’t force them to do a scene.
I believe very strongly that the best, most honest performances are when an actor feels free and safe. That’s how you get a great performance. You can’t if there is any tension. The emotion is going to be blocked. And that’s something I’ve known from my days of studying acting. So my job is to create the kind of best, most conducive environment for the actor to play this character.”
HBO and Levinson have confirmed that the third season of Euphoria is the final season and fans are both heartbroken and delighted with the news after a four-year hiatus between seasons 2 and 3 as well as the ongoing controversies surrounding the series. It won’t be hard to catch the cast, including Sweeney and others, due to their ever-growing stardom.
