Sydney Sweeney Fights Tooth and Nail to Keep Steamy Nude Scenes in Euphoria

Sydney Sweeney's nude scenes in Euphoria's third season were nearly axed. Director Sam Levinson initially considered filming the entire season without any nudity for her character, Cassie. Sydney put her foot down, refusing to let that happen.

In a candid interview with New York Times, Levinson revealed, "When I first wrote it, I was like, ‘Maybe we shoot all of this and we don’t have any nudity. Maybe there’s ways to shoot around certain things?”

Sydney shot back, “Are you kidding? I’m playing an OnlyFans model. You’re telling me you’re going to, like, skirt around it?” Levinson quickly conceded, “Yeah, OK, that’s a fair point.”

Her portrayal of Cassie Howard has drawn significant criticism from viewers who deem her storyline and intimate scenes excessively sexualized. Levinson defended the creative choices, stating, “From the script, you get a sense of what the role requires.”

He added, “Even when you go up to audition, let’s use the role of Cassie, you know the role requires a certain amount of nudity. Are you comfortable?”

Levinson explained that if actors express discomfort after being cast, they cannot be forced into scenes. “If they’re comfortable, they get the role, then the next layer is the intimacy coordinator,” he said.

Despite the controversy, Levinson emphasized the importance of actor safety during filming. “I believe very strongly that the best, most honest performances are when an actor feels free and safe. That’s how you get a great performance. You can’t if there is any tension.”

He continued, “The emotion is going to be blocked. And that’s something I’ve known from my days of studying acting. So my job is to create the kind of best, most conducive environment for the actor to play this character.”

“Are you comfortable?”