Sydney Sweeney on ‘Euphoria season 2’ intimate scenes, recognition and more

While ‘Euphoria’, an HBO max series is known for glorifying drug abuse and mental health, it is also known for nudity. As the show returns for season 2 after a hiatus of two years, there is much more to look forward to, especially in terms of skin show.

One of the lead characters of the show, Cassie Howard, played by Sydney Sweeney is supposed to have many intimate scenes with actor Jacob Elordi who plays her love interest this season. Now, Sydney Sweeney isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind and in her recent interviews, she has spoken about how there were moments when she felt that a certain scene didn’t need skin show and stood up for it.

In a new interview with The Independent, Sydney Sweeney stated that she had asked creator Sam Levinson to remove unnecessary nude scenes in the second season without facing any opposition.

Speaking to Variety, Sydney said, “Sam Levinson 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.’ 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.”

But the experience hasn’t always been a good one.

Even though the Euphoria cast works with an intimacy coordinator, there have been times when Sydney hasn’t felt completely comfortable. She said, “I’ve had experiences where I want to go home and scrub myself completely raw because I feel disgusting. 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.”

She also spoke about her frustration regarding the recognition she gets for roles where she doesn’t strip naked. She said, “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. 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?.”

Euphoria is a teen drama that revolves around drugs and sex abuse and mental health. The second season of the show premiered on January 11 on Disney Hotstar plus.