The drama series Euphoria (which is on your HBO Max subscription) may have been the project that helped Sydney Sweeney become a household name. But her filmography didn’t stop there and continues to grow. However, Sweeney admits that privacy was an important thing she lost as a result of fame, saying, “18-year-old me had no idea what she was getting into.”
Sydney Sweeney becoming a working actress certainly wasn’t easy. When then-13-year-old Sweeney and her family moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams, it took Sweeney eight years to book gigs like Sharp Objects that headed her in the direction of fame. But like the working actress said, “success is the best revenge” for anyone who doesn’t believe in your dreams, and the White Lotus actress certainly proved that. However, Sweeney has gotten real with The Times that fame can make it hard to decide who to trust:
I’ve always been guarded. Definitely more so now. You let a few people in who you trust.
I truly understand Sydney Sweeney’s statements. The Immaculate actress has said that “the most difficult thing” to deal with in Hollywood is having a nice conversation with a reporter, only for them to twist her words around. I would be nervous about telling someone new anything personal for fear of a rumor mill hitting social media.
But in the case of The Handmaid’s Tale actress, it’s good to know that she’s got plenty of friends based on her Instagram vacation photos and the epic photo dump she posted on New Year’s Eve, looking to have fun with her pals. Clearly, she’s got plenty of trustworthy people in her corner.
It’s no secret that Sydney Sweeney has a lot of work ahead of her. After many delays, the talented star has revisited the set of Euphoria to film its third season. She’s also taken on roles that have expanded her range, like starring in a Christy Martin biopic, Ron Howard’s 2025 movie release, Eden, The Housemaid movie adaptation, and Apple TV+’s Echo Valley. While success is rolling for Sweeney, the actress got real if she felt safe in it:
No, I will always want to work harder. Achieve more.
That’s a very realistic way of thinking. Fame and success are never permanent, no matter how much work you’ve been offered at the moment. But that’s all the more reason why we need to commend Sydney Sweeney’s drive for making sure she continues putting herself out there and booking more projects. With her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films, this appears to be the Reality actress’s way of saying that she’s not going to wait around for opportunities—she’ll be creating them.
Being in the spotlight is a great way for studios and casting directors to recognize you for upcoming roles. But in the social media age we live in, where the general public recognizes you, Sydney Sweeney said that her fame has cost her privacy:
A lot is gone. Like privacy. Which is huge. You don’t realize how much that means until you lose it. I see all the time: ‘Oh, they sold themselves, they knew what they were signing up for.’ But 18-year-old me had no idea what she was signing up for.
Like Sydney Sweeney said, even if an aspiring actress thinks she knows what her life will be like once she’s famous, no one can ever prepare for what that means. Unfortunately, the Emmy nominee has gone through the negative costs of fame. For example, she faced backlash when she said she couldn’t take a break from acting because she didn’t “have an income to cover that,” making the public think she meant she wasn’t getting paid enough for Euphoria.
Sydney Sweeney has also had to deal with nosy investigators interrupting her Disney World trip, having a Hollywood reporter rip into her Anyone But You performance, and being the subject of affair rumors with Anyone But You co-star Glen Powell. However, the accomplished actress has had a good head on her shoulders, handling it all like a champ, and I know she’ll continue to do so as success continues to come her way.
An 18-year-old Sydney Sweeney may never have predicted that a lack of privacy would come as a result of fame. But, as the Americana actress has been practicing the juggling act of transforming for roles and handling the spotlight shining on her personal life, it appears Sweeney has navigated both with resilience and strength we can all be proud of for her. Her latest release, Echo Valley, hits limited release in theaters on June 6th and will premiere on your Apple TV+ subscription on June 13th.
