Sydney Sweeney is shutting down critics of her controversial “Euphoria” scenes and making it clear that she stands by her work as her character Cassie Howard.
The 28-year-old actress and the HBO drama series have faced backlash over her portrayal of Cassie in the third and final season in which her character dove into the world of OnlyFans and creating sexually explicit content.
On Tuesday, Sweeney hit back at her detractors with a brief but pointed message on Instagram along with a carousel of behind-the-scenes images that included some of Cassie’s most provocative season three looks.
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“it’s called… acting,” Sweeney wrote in the caption of her slideshow, which included photos in which the actress was seen almost completely nude.
In one image, Sweeney went topless and wore sheer nude stockings with strategically placed leaf-shaped coverings as she posed with a giant python.
Sweeney was seen topless wearing only a pair of nude thong underwear as the python wrapped itself around her body in another photo.
In a mirror selfie, the “Anyone But You” star donned a brown dog costume comprised of dog ears, a collar, a leash, wristbands and a satin corset.
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When the fetish-inspired dog-costume scene aired during the season, it quickly became one of “Euphoria’s” most polarizing moments, triggering widespread backlash from viewers who criticized the storyline as excessive and unnecessarily provocative.
In other photos, Sweeney was seen posing in a tiny hot pink string bikini while kneeling on a bar, hanging upside down from a stripper pole and wearing the low-cut corset-style wedding dress that Cassie donned when she married Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi).
In addition to her Instagram post, Sweeney also shared a series of selfies to her Instagram Story. She was seen wearing a pink and nude dress with a low-cut rose-trimmed neckline in one image.
The Emmy Award nominee posed in a gold halter top in another photo and modeled a sheer white babydoll negligee adorned with pink roses over white lingerie in one shot.
In another photo that she shared, Sweeney was seen sitting in a makeup chair while a stylist curled her hair.
Sweeney also included other snaps from filming, including photos of herself posing with her co-stars including Elordi and Alexa Demie.
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During a Monday appearance on The New York Times “Popcast” podcast, “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson heaped praise on Sweeney for her bold approach to the controversial scenes and nudity depicted throughout the season.
“When I first wrote it … I thought, ‘Well, maybe, we shoot all of this, and we don’t have any nudity,’” Levinson said via Us Weekly. “I was talking to her about, maybe, there’s ways to shoot around certain [things] — and she looked at me, and she’s like, ‘Are you kidding? I’m playing an OnlyFans model.’”
The 41-year-old emphasized that he “always” consults with actors about what best serves their characters, and Sweeney was willing to fully embrace the creative direction.
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“I think she’s a totally fearless actor. She’s also just wonderfully professional, and shows up just game every day,” he said. “I adore working with her, because there’s such a flexibility in terms of the performance.”
Levinson explained that he and “The Housemaid” star share “a lot of trust.”
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“I can say, ‘Why don’t we try this scene just a little crazier, with a little more humor.’ Suddenly, this whole other version of the scene can come out just based on her performance,” he said.
“We’re tackling this world of OnlyFans where women are being paid to whisper into an ear-shaped microphone and lick it,” Levinson continued. “There is a level of absurdity to it that is just fun.”
In the show, Cassie launched her OnlyFans account to help fund her lavish wedding to Nate and later turns it into a full-fledged career after their relationship unravels.
After briefly deleting the account under pressure from Nate, she relaunches it, gains viral fame and eventually becomes a successful content creator. In the series finale, Sweeney shuts down her OnlyFans account after landing a coveted role on the fictional soap opera “L.A. Nights.”
