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Sydney Sweeney, a bankable actress turned into an object of fantasy… and controversy
Sydney Sweeney, the unforgettable Cassie in the series Euphoria, is currently one of the most sought-after actresses. After the romantic comedy Anyone But You, the Marvel blockbuster Madame Web, and the horror movie Immaculate, she continues to land increasingly ambitious roles on the silver screen. Now starring in the film The Housemaid, let’s take a look at the actress’s meteoric rise and the controversies surrounding her.
By Violaine Schütz.
Published on 1 August 2025. Updated on 16 December 2025.
Not long ago, she was turning her bathwater into soaps that sold like hotcakes… With her Bardot-like baby doll beauty, her bold barbiecore looks, smart role choices and emotive pouts, Sydney Sweeney, 28, has become one of the coolest, most sought-after actresses right now. But also, one of the most controversial ones. Throwback to her fascinating journey.
The White Lotus, Euphoria… First roles in cult series
Even before that, the actress already had an impressive track record of leading and supporting roles. Sydney Sweeney appeared in visually striking films, such as the oneiric and unsettling Under the Silver Lake or Quentin Tarantino’s wild Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Besides, she also starred in cult series like The Handmaid’s Tale, Sharp Objects, and The White Lotus. But it was her role as Cassie in the cultural phenomenon Euphoria as a sweet, popular teen who struggles with several toxic relationships and slut-shaming, that skyrocketed her into stardom.
A large part of Gen Z identifies with her character, who, like many of them, struggles with insecurities and will do anything to be loved. But Cassie is also a divisive character, one that Euphoria fans love to hate for dating the ex of her friend Maddy. The actress has been quick to clarify that she should not be confused with her character, who embodies the hypersexualization of teenage girls and the consequences of it.
From romcoms to Marvel blockbusters
Sydney Sweeney quickly made the decision not to get typecast in one genre only. The interpreter of Cassie in Euphoria delivered a standout performance as a U.S. Air Force veteran and whistleblower with a love for animals and sports in the gripping spy drama Reality (2023).
In January 2024, Sydney Sweeney made a dramatic shift in tone with the romantic comedy Anyone But You. Alongside Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick, Twisters), she plays a young law student who pretends to be dating a banker during a wedding in Australia. The film, which blends references to Shakespeare and Titanic, was a box-office hit in the U.S., raking in $100 million.
A bankable actress
Hyperactive, the actress never stops filming. Sydney Sweeney recently appeared—in February 2024—in the Marvel movie Madame Web, alongside Dakota Johnson and Tahar Rahim. Barely a month later, she surprised audiences in Immaculate, a horror film in which she plays an American nun moving into an Italian convent.
Since June 2025, she has taken on the role of a rebellious teenager in the Apple TV+ dark thriller Echo Valley, starring Julianne Moore. This is just the beginning… In 2025 and 2026, Sydney Sweeney will participate in a host of exciting new projects. She will be back in the third season of Euphoria and will star in The Housemaid, a film adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name.
Barbarella, Scandalous!: The many roles of Sydney Sweeney
The actress is also set to star in Barbarella, the remake of the cult 1960s B-movie, in which she will take on the iconic role of an intergalactic adventurer saving the world in a bikini. A role once played by Jane Fonda. In addition to that, Sydney Sweeney will be trading her blonde locks for a retro brunette mullet with unruly ends. She will portray boxer Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic bearing the athlete’s name.
Sydney Sweeney is about to join the ranks of Hollywood’s A-list actresses thanks to several major projects. For instance, the thriller Eden with Jude Law and Ana de Armas, the biopic Scandalous! directed by Colman Domingo, and The Players Table, a project in collaboration with singer Halsey. She is also set to appear in Gundam, I Pretended to Be a Missing Girl, The Caretaker, The Registration, Americana, OutRun, and Split Fiction. In short, Sydney Sweeney seems to have become one of Hollywood’s ten most bankable young actresses.
A taste for challenges
The actress born in Spokane, Washington, has made a point of choosing roles in ambitious projects on screen. Her main motivation? Playing characters that challenge her. Speaking about her role as the face of Giorgio Armani’s fragrance My Way, launched in 2023, she said: “I love finding characters that challenge me and challenge the audience. I’m really excited about the films I’ve worked on over the past year, because they were all unique in their own way and took me on very personal journeys.”
From MMA champion to producer: the many roles of a determined star
In Euphoria, Sydney Sweeney proves she can master a wide range of emotions, seamlessly shifting from a radiant smile to authentic tears. As a teenager, the actress was a regional MMA champion, and she also used to restore vintage cars and paint pottery. Now, she often portrays dual characters, at the crossroads between fragility and strength, warmth and danger.
She transitions from smoldering lolita to charming ingénue, or even femme fatale, with such ease. This emotional range suggests that her career is just about to begin. Determined, Sydney Sweeney convinced her parents to let her go to her first audition at the age of 12 with a PowerPoint presentation of her career plan spanning many years. The founder of Fifty-Fifty Films, her own production company, had clearly guessed right…
An actress who sparks debate
Although her acting skills are now widely acknowledged, the star is still at the heart of controversies. In May 2025, she stirred up a storm by launching her own soap, made from her used bathwater, in partnership with the American men’s grooming brand Dr. Squatch. In the provocative ads, the sexy product is described as “a perfect combination of the two best places on the planet: the outdoors and Sydney Sweeney’s bathtub”. Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss soaps sold out in no time.
A few months later, she became the center of a much less amusing controversy. The actress appeared in a campaign for the brand American Eagle, clad in an all-denim look alongside a questionable tagline. The message “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”, which sounds phonetically like “great genes”, was coined as outdated, even eugenicist, for its possible reference to the blue-eyed, blonde-haired image of the chosen ambassador.
Numerous controversies
The actress responded to the controversy on December 5th, 2025, in an interview with People magazine. She said she was “honestly surprised by the reaction” online and explained that she agreed to do the ad because she “loves the jeans and the brand.” She added that she does not share “the views some people chose to connect to the campaign.” She made a clear point: “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I stand against hate and divisiveness.”
A lukewarm apology from an actress who doesn’t win unanimous support. Another criticism? Actress Ruby Rose posted on social media in response to the flop of the 2026 film Christy, which stars Sydney Sweeney: “About her comments on the flop, where she says she did it for the people. None of ‘the people’ want to see someone who hates them, parading around pretending to be us. You ruined the film. Period. Christy deserved better.”
The Housemaid by Paul Feig, coming out in theatres on December 24th, 2025.
Season 3 of Euphoria, created by Sam Levinson, will come out in April 2026 on HBO Max.
