Sydney Sweeney Clarifies Statement on 'Euphoria' Nudity and Direction from Sam Levinson

This season of Euphoria had the entire internet talking.

It was a long time coming, with COVID delaying production. This anticipation built over the season, which continued to push the envelope with sex, drugs, and storylines people were not always used to. At the center of this were stories about long set hours, arguments of nudity on set, and possible feuds. 

Now, one of the show's stars, Sydney Sweeney, is setting the record straight.

In an interview with Teen Vogue, Sweeney added context to some of her quotes in the past. The actor said, “I never asked [Euphoria showrunner Sam Levinson] to cut any scenes. It got twisted and turned and it became its own beast, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’”

She elaborated on the actual conversations between her and the show's creator.

“It was more how respectful Sam is and how incredible of a director he is, that he would never make me do something I didn’t feel comfortable with. I think it’s important to the storyline and the character. There’s a purpose to what that character is going through. That’s the character. We all get naked in real life. We show this character’s life and what they’re going through. Cassie’s body is a different form of communication for her.”

The comments that were taken out of context came when she told The Independent, "There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’ He was like, ‘Okay, we don’t need it.' I’ve never felt like Sam has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show. When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”

She said later in the same interview, "I’m very proud of my work in Euphoria. I thought it was a great performance. But no one talks about it because I got naked."

Sweeney didn't want the public to get the wrong impression. The reason is, as these stories went viral, many headlines were shared on social media, causing an uproar. 

“No matter what I say, it’s never my words,” she said in Teen Vogue. “There’s no context behind a conversation, like what you and I are having right now. People create their own narratives around a word or sentence that is said that is rewritten. Do I stand up for myself and then people don’t believe I’m standing up for myself, but [that I’m just] going back on words that I say? But really they were rewritten by someone else.”

Hopefully, that sets the record straight. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.