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Sydney Sweeney certainly got a lot of attention for her work in the sophomore season of Euphoria. Fans got a kick out of her character, Cassie Howard, slowly self-destructing. In fact, her portrayal of the teenager earned her her first of two Emmy nominations. But Sweeney also made headlines after she spoke openly about the nude scenes and sex scenes that the role required.

Sydney Sweeney in a crystal dress with purple skirt and hands on waist
Sydney Sweeney | Rich Fury/VF22/Getty Images for Vanity Fair

Sydney Sweeney has quite a few sex scenes in ‘Euphoria’ that some fans deemed gratuitous

Many fans of Euphoria expressed concern that Sweeney, in particular, had far too many sex scenes. Though a large part of Cassie’s arc deals with her hypersexualization, some still felt that her frequent nudity was gratuitous. For her part, Sweeney has always claimed that she feels perfectly comfortable with the nudity that the role requires. However, when she revealed that she was supposed to have even more nude scenes initially, many fans balked at this revelation.

Sweeney explained when she might speak up about a sex scene

It turns out that Sweeney’s character, Cassie, had fewer nude scenes than originally planned because Sweeney spoke up. She had a conversation with Euphoria creator, director, and writer, Sam Levinson, about some of his proposed nude scenes for Cassie. After a discussion, Levinson permitted Sweeney to wear a top for the aforementioned scenes.

But what exactly prompted Sweeney to speak up? In an interview with Elle, the actor-producer explained when she feels the need to speak up about nudity and sex scenes. “If there is a scene and a project that doesn’t make sense, and it feels like it’s just thrown in, then I might say something,” Sweeney explained.

Will the ‘Euphoria’ actor continue to do roles that require nudity and sex scenes?

Of course, if the nudity or sex scenes make sense for her character and are essential to the storytelling, then Sweeney has no problem filming them. The Handmaid’s Tale alum has been candid about the fact that she has no intention of stopping her nude scenes altogether in Euphoria or other projects.

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“I’ve always said that if it’s important for the character in the storyline and what they are going through, then my job is to bring this character to life,” Sweeney explained about her sex scenes. “I’m not gonna do a disservice to my character and take away from a moment that might change and sculpt who she is later on. That’s how I’ve always looked at it.”

Sweeney gets candid about the importance of intimacy coordinators

For her part, Sweeney feels fortunate that she’s always been made to feel comfortable on the set of Euphoria. Part of this stems from the fact that the show has provided an intimacy coordinator since its inception. “We are in such a great time right now in the industry where we have intimacy coordinators, and I’ve always felt comfortable with mine,” she shared. “They’re very collaborative and very supportive. I think it’s important for every set to have one.”

Hopefully, Sweeney will continue to do projects where she feels safe, supported, and protected, whether she’s filming sex scenes or not.