After previously telling The Independent that certain topless scenes weren’t “necessary” for her HBO character, Sweeney revealed to Teen Vogue that some of her comments were taken out of context. “I never asked [‘Euphoria’ showrunner Sam Levinson] to cut any scenes,” Sweeney said, referring to headlines that misconstrued the story. “It got twisted and turned and it became its own beast, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’” Now, the “White Lotus” star clarified that she wanted to emphasize the boundaries that Levinson facilitated on the record-breaking HBO series. “It was more how respectful Sam is and how incredible of a director he is, that he would never make me do something I didn’t feel comfortable with,” Sweeney continued in the new interview, saying the nudity added to the realistic portrayal of her character, Cassie. “I think it’s important to the storyline and the character. There’s a purpose to what that character is going through. That’s the character. We all get naked in real life. We show this character’s life and what they’re going through. Cassie’s body is a different form of communication for her.”
Sweeney told The Independent at the time that she “never felt like [creator] Sam [Levinson] has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show,” adding, “There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’ He was like, ‘OK, we don’t need it.’” She added, “This is something that has bothered me for a while. I’m very proud of my work in ‘Euphoria.’ I thought it was a great performance. But no one talks about it because I got naked.” “No matter what I say, it’s never my words,” she told Teen Vogue. “There’s no context behind a conversation, like what you and I are having right now. People create their own narratives around a word or sentence that is said that is rewritten. Do I stand up for myself and then people don’t believe I’m standing up for myself, but [that I’m just] going back on words that I say? But really they were rewritten by someone else.” Sweeney concluded, “Why do interviews when it’s not really our words?” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
