Sydney Sweeney’s father and grandfather were so unprepared for her explicit scenes in Euphoria that they switched off the HBO drama and walked out when they first watched it together.
According to People, the actress, who plays Cassie in the series, shared the family’s reaction during an interview with Willie Geist on NBC’s Sunday Today in June 2023. Sweeney said her mother already knew the story because she had visited the set several times, but she had not prepared her father for what he would see.
“My mom visited me on set quite a few times, so she knew the story,” Sweeney said. “My dad didn’t. I didn’t prepare my dad at all. … So he decided he was going to watch it without telling me, with his parents.”
The plan did not go as he expected. “My dad and my grandpa turned it off and walked out,” she said.
Her grandmother, however, reacted differently. Sweeney described her as a strong supporter who enjoys accompanying the actress around the world to her various sets. She even gives her grandmother small roles as an extra.
“She’s a big fan of mine,” Sweeney said. “I bring her all over the world to my different sets and I make her an extra.”
Sweeney also reflected on the influence Euphoria had on younger audiences, saying the series had become part of popular culture. She recalled that her brother was in his first or second year of college when students began organising parties inspired by the show.
“It’s amazing. It’s become a part of the culture,” she said.
The actress also spoke about what drew her to Cassie, a character whose emotional complexity she particularly enjoyed exploring in the early episodes.
“There’s so much [about] Cassie that I loved, especially in the beginning,” she said. Sweeney explained that she often gravitates towards characters who may appear one way on the page but reveal more layers through performance. She enjoys exploring their emotional depth, motivations, behaviour and thoughts.
“She’s a beautiful, broken character,” Sweeney said. “I love playing Cassie, especially last season because she was so crazy. As an actor, that’s just so much fun to kind of stretch your legs and play characters that go insane and do all these crazy choices.”
She also expressed excitement about where the character’s story would go in the third season.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what Cassie does [in] season 3,” she said.
HBO renewed Euphoria for a third season in February 2022. At the time of Sweeney’s interview, the new episodes were not expected before 2024. Colman Domingo, who plays Ali Mohammed, Rue’s Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, said in an interview with Extra that the wait would be worthwhile.
“We shoot these episodes in like, a month each. It takes a while,” Domingo said. He explained that the production took time because the show contained many individual shots and brief scenes. He also praised creator Sam Levinson for his meticulous approach to the series.
Sweeney’s interview with Willie Geist aired on Sunday Today on 4 June 2023.
