Sydney Sweeney Credits Cassie for Helping Her ‘Let Go of Insecurities’

Euphoria has certainly brought Sydney Sweeney a lot of attention. Though she had some great credits before starring in the hit HBO show, her popularity has skyrocketed since she started playing Cassie Howard. This is especially true of her work in the show’s sophomore season. Her portrayal of the self-sabotaging, lovesick, teen in Euphoria Season 2 made her a breakout star in the ensemble cast and earned her an Emmy nomination.

Sydney Sweeney was nervous that another actor wouldn’t do her character, Cassie Howard, justice

Sweeney actually felt an affinity with her character right away. In fact, when she first read the breakdown for Cassie, she was pretty nervous. She felt so attuned to the character that she worried that if another actor was cast, they wouldn’t be able to really understand Cassie and do her justice. Fortunately, for the Washington native, the powers that be agreed that Sweeney’s interpretation of the character was the best one.

What the ‘Euphoria’ actor has learned from her character

Of course, playing Cassie isn’t always a cakewalk. To say that Sweeney’s character has been on a wild ride would be an understatement. But even though it’s hard work, Sweeney seems to be loving every moment of it. She even enjoyed acting out Cassie’s destructive romance with Nate in Euphoria Season 2. While speaking with Deadline, Sweeney explained that she’s learned a ton from playing Cassie over the last few years. Some lessons have even transferred to her real-life experiences.

“I think that she has taught me to let go of insecurities that I may have,” Sweeney shared. “And she has taught me to fully allow myself to just engulf myself in her emotions. It’s been a really beautiful experience to be able to play out all of her different, crazy emotions that she’s been having to deal with. It’s been really fun.”

Sweeney explains how she is similar to Cassie

Though Sweeney actively tries to find characters who are drastically different from her, she admits that she does see some overlap between herself and the teen. In the aforementioned interview, she explained some of the character traits that connect her to her polarizing Euphoria character.

“Cassie, I think, is one of the most relatable characters to me, because I search for love in other people and acceptance, and I’m scared of being alone,” Sweeney explained. “I was a teenage girl, too, so I definitely relate to her, but most of my characters I try to be vastly different from.”

Sweeney leads a very different life than Cassie

Certainly, Sweeney and Cassie have their fair share of differences also. A big example of this can be seen when looking at their lifestyles. Cassie seems to a bit of a partier, who isn’t afraid to get wasted or casually do Molly at a carnival. Sweeney, on the other hand, has never even tried drugs or alcohol and doesn’t seem to have plans to. Clearly, Cassie is different enough from Sweeney to still provide her with a challenge. It’ll be interesting to see who Cassie will be in Euphoria Season 3.