Sydney Sweeney says she felt ‘ostracised’ for developing breasts earlier than her peers

‘Euphoria’ star also reflected on the furore over her nude scenes in the hit HBO drama

Kate Ng
Friday 17 March 2023 11:44 GMT
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Sydney Sweeney has said that developing breasts before most of her peers in school made her feel “ostracised”.

The Euphoria star reflected on the reaction to her nude scenes in the show and how the scrutiny on her body reminded her of challenging times as a young school girl.

She also criticised people on social media who sexualised her in real life though she had been playing her character Cassie Howard when filming the nude scenes.

Speaking to The Sun, the 25-year-old said: “I had boobs before other girls and I felt ostracised for it.”

She recalled trolls taking screenshots of her nude scenes and tagging her family members.

“My cousins don’t need that. It’s completely disgusting and unfair,” Sweeney said.

“You have a character that goes through the scrutiny of being a sexualised person at school and then an audience that does the same thing.

“I think it’s ridiculous. I’m an artist, I play characters. It makes me want to play characters that piss people off more.”

Sweeney, who was nominated for two Emmies last year for her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus, previously opened up about how it “bothers” her that most of the attention on her performance surrounds her nude scenes.

Sydney Sweeney in Euphoria
Sydney Sweeney in Euphoria (Eddy Chen/HBO)

Speaking to The Independent’s TV editor Ellie Harrison last year, Sweeney said: “I’m very proud of my work in Euphoria. I thought it was a great performance. But no one walks 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?’”

She also spoke out against “a stigma against actresses who get naked on screen”, adding: “When a guy has a sex scene or shows his body, he still wins awards and gets praise. But the moment a girl does it, it’s completely different.”

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