Sydney Sweeney has defended Euphoria director Sam Levinson over the show’s sexually explicit scenes.
Euphoria has won nine Emmys – two of them for its lead, Zendaya – and has made Sweeney a star. But its depiction of sex in a show about high schoolers has turned Levinson into a controversial figure. Meanwhile, his latest HBO series The Idol has brought about similar criticism.
However, in a new interview with Variety, Sweeney defended the director, claiming she feels “free and confident” in her Euphoria role of Cassie Howard.
“You have me, you have Z, you have all of these very strong-minded, independent women. If we didn’t feel comfortable with something, or we saw something we didn’t like, we’d all speak up,” she said.
“It’s hard to see someone completely trashed by the public and the media when no one’s actually there. We are there, and clearly we’re still working on the show, and we’re still supportive.”
Sweeney added of Euphoria: “The point is making people uncomfortable, and thinking outside the box. What else is the point of art?” Sweeney says. “For me, I feel so free and confident now. And I’ve found that through Cassie.”
Elsewhere, Sweeney previously revealed that two of her family members walked out of the room while watching her in Euphoria.
“My mum visited me on set at the time, so she like knew the story and I talked to her a lot about it – my dad didn’t,” she said. “I didn’t prepare my dad at all.”
According to the actress, her father decided to watch the series with her grandparents without telling her first. Unaware of the nature of show, which follows a group of high school students as they struggle with issues of drugs, sex and violence, Sweeney revealed: “My dad and my grandpa turned it off and walked out.”
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