Actress Sydney Sweeney, who has starred as Cassie Howard on the drama since the debut of the show “Euphoria” in 2019, is finally setting the record straight on years of speculation surrounding the show's lengthy delay. The actress addressed rumours that cast schedules or behind-the-scenes drama contributed to the gap between seasons in a new interview with Vanity Fair, reports people.com.
“Well, I mean, we all grew up together on this show, so it’s honestly crazy to watch how much social media and the press spin things,” said Sweeney. The actress’ comments come after years of speculation about what caused the delay between Euphoria’s second and third seasons.
Production on season 3 was originally expected to begin in 2024 but was pushed back amid the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, as well as reported script development delays. The actress said she found it amusing to watch assumptions circulate that cast schedules were responsible for holding up the show.
“I was in first position to HBO,” she explained. “So the moment they say, ‘Hey, this is the first day of filming,’ I’m legally not allowed to do anything else. So my schedule doesn’t affect the show.” Sweeney added that the same was true for the rest of the cast.
“All of us were in first position, so it wasn’t like any of our schedules were holding it up.” Since Euphoria premiered, many of its young stars have become some of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors. Her acclaimed performance as Cassie Howard helped launch her career to new heights, leading to roles in The White Lotus and major film projects, like The Housemaid and Anyone but You.
Sweeney also spoke about her longtime collaboration with creator Sam Levinson and shared that he began discussing Cassie’s future years before season 3 cameras rolled. As season 2 was wrapping, Levinson would call her and pitch ideas for where the character’s story might go next.
“So I knew years before we started filming season three that I would be married to Nate, we’d be living in a suburban neighborhood, and Cassie would be crazier than ever,” Sweeney said. Though she knew the broad outline of Cassie’s future, she didn’t learn the specifics until she received the scripts.
Season 3 sees Cassie gain notoriety as an OnlyFans creator, a development Sweeney said made sense for the character, given her long-running need for validation. “From the very beginning, you can see that Cassie has this need to be loved. She has a need to be validated by other people.
She doesn’t know how to love herself unless someone else loves her,” Sweeney said. “I think she was more excited by the idea of all these people loving her and knowing who she is and feeling like her world isn’t small.” The actress also discussed conversations she had with Levinson about the nudity required for the storyline, emphasizing the distinction between herself and the character she portrays.
“Do I agree with all of Cassie’s decisions? Would I personally make these choices? No, of course not,” she said. “But I’m an actor and that’s my job and this is Cassie’s life and to be able to do her justice and play her how she’s to be played is to bring Sam’s vision to life and to play Cassie in the most vulnerable and insane way possible.”
Looking back on the series as a whole, Sweeney acknowledged that saying goodbye to Cassie was bittersweet. “Every season, like Sam says, he’s always shot it like it’s the last,” she said. “And I think we’ve all approached it in the same mentality. So I’ve always said goodbye to Cassie on the last day, as bittersweet as it is, because she’s such a challenging role and she stretches me as an actor.”