Sydney Sweeney, who gained fame for portraying Cassie Howard on the HBO series Euphoria, recently spoke with The Independent about her experience filming intimate scenes.
While Sweeney’s role on the show has brought her recognition and acclaim, she revealed moments when she felt uncomfortable while filming intimate scenes.
Sydney Sweeney felt really uncomfortable while filming the intimate scene in Nocturne
Sweeney shared that she has had moments where she felt dirty and awkward and did not feel that her character would engage in certain behaviors. She noted that male actors are often praised and rewarded for performing intimate scenes or revealing their bodies on screen, while female actors are subjected to harsher scrutiny and judgment.
“The most uncomfortable scene, I would have to say, the s*x scene, I was actually really uncomfortable. It was funny because I kept all my clothes on, but I still felt uncomfortable.” Sweeney shared.
Sydney Sweeney felt disgusting filming intimate scenes
Sweeney recounted feeling unsafe during an intimate scene while filming, sharing another experience. In an interview with the Independent, she mentioned a director who refused to modify a script due to poor communication. Although she did not mention the project by name, some of her comments appeared to relate to her work on the Nocturne intimate scene.
“I’ve had experiences where I want to go home and scrub myself completely raw because I feel disgusting. I didn’t feel comfortable with my cast mate or the crew, and I just didn’t feel like my character would be doing it. That made me even more self-conscious. I didn’t feel like I was able to speak up.”
Sydney Sweeney as Cassie Howard in Euphoria
Despite the challenges, Sweeney remains grateful for the opportunity to play such a complex and nuanced character on a groundbreaking series like Euphoria. However, Sweeney acknowledged that the show’s on-set intimacy coordinator helped guide the intimate scenes and ensure everyone felt comfortable.
Sweeney also expressed her belief that nud*ty can be an essential aspect of storytelling and character development and that it served a purpose in the show.
Sweeney appreciated that Euphoria creator Sam Levinson respected her boundaries and did not pressure her to do any scenes she was uncomfortable with. She noted instances where nud*ty was necessary for the plot but appreciated that Levinson was open to discussion and did not try to shoehorn unnecessary nud*ty into the show.
