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Though Euphoria is an ensemble show, it’s safe to say that Sydney Sweeney dominated much of the discourse in season 2. Her portrayal of the love-obsessed Cassie Howard earned her an Emmy nomination. But people weren’t just talking about the actor’s performance in the sophomore season of the wildly popular HBO show. They were also speaking about the sheer volume of nude scenes she’s had during her tenure on the show.

Sydney Sweeney poses in a black dress and metallic breast plate
Sydney Sweeney | David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Image

Many ‘Euphoria’ fans questioned if Sydney Sweeney had too many nude scenes

While Euphoria is rife with nudity, fans began pointing out that Sweeney had quite a few more than many of her castmates. For example, Zendaya and Maude Apatow (who portrays Sweeney’s younger sister) have never had any nude scenes. And other actors like Alexa Demie have seen their nude scenes decrease since the first season of the show. When Sweeney revealed that initially, her character was written to have even more nude scenes, people began to question if her being topless was indeed gratuitous.

The actor thinks some people didn’t take her seriously until she joined ‘The White Lotus’ cast

For her part, Sweeney has assured fans that she feels safe on Euphoria’s set and has full control over her nude scenes. And while she’s comfortable with filming them, she admits that she thinks many people look at her differently because of them. In fact, she feels some people in the entertainment industry didn’t take her work as an actor seriously until she was cast in The White Lotus. Since playing Olivia Mossbacher didn’t require nudity, she feels people focused on her performance more.

The White Lotus has been a completely different kind of turning point,” Sweeney explained to Cosmopolitan. “I don’t think as many people took me seriously in Euphoria because I took my shirt off. With The White Lotus, all of a sudden, all these people came out of the woodwork like, ‘You’re the most amazing…’ and I’m like, But I went through the craziest emotional roller coaster in Euphoria. So, thanks?”

Sweeney feels that she is judged in the media because of her hair and her body

But Sweeney has shared that it’s not just nude scenes that make people discount her. She’s also shared that her body type has led to the media’s biggest misconception about her. While speaking to Wonderland Magazine, the Spokane, Washington native revealed that people often make snap judgments about her based on her appearance.

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“I’m trying to work out how to word it because I know exactly what I want to say, but I’m sitting in the car with my dad right now,” Sweeney stated when she was questioned about the biggest misconception about her. “Okay, it’s that I have big boobs, I’m blonde, and that’s all I have.”

Nude scenes aren’t preventing Sweeney from getting critical recognition

Sweeney certainly has a lot of interesting thoughts about the way she’s treated in the media. However, since she was Emmy nominated for both Euphoria Season 2 and The White Lotus, it seems that people are certainly taking her seriously these days. And considering the actor is constantly announcing new projects, people are definitely taking note of her work.