Sydney Sweeney breaks silence over ‘Euphoria's' Cassie's risqué plot

Sydney Sweeney has opened up about Cassie's controversial OnlyFans storyline in Euphoria Season 3, revealing the conversations she had with creator Sam Levinson before filming and explaining why she had no hesitation committing to the role fully.

In an interview with Vanity Fair published on Tuesday, Sweeney, 28, reflected on her character's arc in the final season, in which Cassie becomes a model on the subscription platform after marrying Nate, played by Jacob Elordi. 

She described the storyline as a natural extension of who Cassie has always been. 

"From the very beginning, you can see that Cassie has this need to be loved," she said. 

"She has a need to be validated by other people. She doesn't know how to love herself unless someone else loves her." 

The OnlyFans decision, she added, was less about the content itself and more about the attention it brought. 

"She was more excited by the idea of all these people loving her and knowing who she is and feeling like her world isn't small."

On the question of how the scenes were discussed ahead of filming, Sweeney said Levinson sent her the scripts with Cassie's scenes already included, then called to talk through them. 

His approach, she said, was considerate. 

"He asked me how I felt about it, and I told him, 'Look, I'm playing a character.'" She was clear-eyed about the distinction between herself and her character. 

"Do I agree with all of Cassie's decisions? Would I personally make these choices? No, of course not. But I'm an actor and that's my job, and this is Cassie's life, and to be able to do her justice and play her how she's to be played is to bring Sam's vision to life and to play Cassie in the most vulnerable and insane way possible."

Sweeney also pushed back in the Vanity Fair interview against the assumption that her roles reflect who she is personally. 

"Most people have no clue who I actually am," she said. "That's why I love acting. The whole point of acting is being able to play all these different characters. It wouldn't be fun playing myself."