In a recent Variety interview, the actress looked back on the intense public attention that accompanied her portrayal of Cassie Howard, one of the show’s most polarizing characters.
Sydney Sweeney Says the Conversation Around Cassie Often Extended Beyond the Screen
When asked about the criticism she received during the run of “Euphoria,” Sweeney pointed to what she sees as a contradiction in the public response to both her character and herself. “I’ve always found it really interesting how people scrutinize how Cassie was treated on the show, and then they do it to me in real life,” she said.
The actress went on to argue that many viewers failed to recognize the parallel between the way Cassie was perceived within the series and the way discussions about the show often played out online. “There’s no awareness that [Cassie’s peers] sexualize Cassie on the show, but we’re going to do this in real life too.”
Sweeney acknowledged that the attention surrounding the role was not always easy to navigate, particularly as conversations about Cassie frequently spilled beyond the boundaries of the fictional character. “To be honest, sometimes it’s hard,” she admitted.
Still, the A-lister suggested that time may ultimately change how both the series and the discourse surrounding it are remembered. “I hope maybe years from now, when people are separated from the craziness and the clickbait of social media, someone who sits back and watch it all, doing a deep dive, goes, ‘Huh, maybe we all had this very wrong.’”
