Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney opens up about filming Cassie's nude scenes

25 January 2022, 14:17

Sydney Sweeney breaks down in tears after post mocking her appearance goes viral

By Katie Louise Smith

"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.”

If you've ever watched an episode of Euphoria, you'll know that nudity is pretty much a given on the HBO show. There's boobs, butts and penises all over the place, sometimes when you least expect it.

Fans have often been critical of the show for perhaps showing too much nudity, and some viewers have also been concerned about the amount of nudity that Cassie in particular has shown throughout her storyline in the series so far.

Sydney Sweeney, who plays Cassie in the show, is now opening up about her experience shooting those nude scenes. In an interview with the Independent, Sydney explained how she has never felt uncomfortable while working with the show's intimacy coordinator, and how she's able to say no to director Sam Levinson when she thinks something doesn’t feel quite right.

READ MORE: This is how the sex scenes on HBO's Euphoria were filmed

Addressing her nude scenes on Euphoria, Sydney said: “Sam [Levinson, director, writer and creator] is amazing. 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, ‘OK, we don’t need it’."

She added: "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.”

While Euphoria is a place where she's able to voice her own feelings about Cassie and see actual changes made in the script because of it, Sydney also added that not every project she's worked on has been the same.

“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 cast mate 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.”

Sydney Sweeney breaks down her Euphoria character Cassie Howard.mp4

In the interview, Sydney also admitted that she was "bothered" by the sudden hype surrounding her character on The White Lotus, particularly as she'd been so proud of her brilliant work on Euphoria and The Handmaid's Tale beforehand.

“With The White Lotus, I felt like people were finally recognising the hard work I’ve been doing. This is something that has bothered me for a while," she confessed. "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."

She added: "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?’”

Sydney also touched her belief that there's a “stigma against actresses who get naked on screen,” saying: “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, it’s completely different.”

Read more about Euphoria here:

• Euphoria's "toilet guy" actor confirms that it was his real penis in full frontal scene
• Eric Dane reveals what happened to Derek in Euphoria season 2
• How old are Fez and Lexi in Euphoria? Angus Cloud clarifies Fez's age
• Euphoria season 3: Release date, cast, spoilers and news about the HBO series

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