Sydney

Euphoria’s creator Sam Levinson has claimed that Sydney Sweeney pushed him to include nude scenes for her character Cassie Howard as he defends himself from fan backlash

After the Euphoria season finale, fans were outraged by the inclusion of copious nude scenes for Cassie Howard, but Sam Levinson has claimed that Sydney Sweeney ‘forced’ him into it.

During the third and final season, Sweeney’s character was nude in multiple scenes, including a montage of nude fetish scenes, as her character started a career as an OnlyFans model. Some fans felt the show over sexualised Cassie and criticised Levinson for the direction the show took. But Levinson said in a podcast episode that it was Sweeney’s choice.

The showrunner said: “When I first wrote it, I thought, ‘Well maybe we shoot all of this and we don’t have any nudity.’ I was talking to her, and you know, [I said] ‘Maybe there’s ways to shoot around certain things?’

“She looked at me, and she was like, ‘Are you kidding? It’s like, I’m playing an OnlyFans model. You’re telling me you’re going to, like, skirt around it?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, OK, it’s a fair point.’ So there’s always a discussion of what works best for the character.”

He added the the New York Times podcast that Sweeney was a “totally fearless actor” and “wonderfully professional”. Levinson said: “I adore working with her, because there’s such a flexibility in terms of the performance.”

Fan backlash to the scenes was quite strong. Critics of the show questioned their inclusion and argued Cassie was being “degraded” in them and that it was a “humiliation ritual” for Sweeney.

Levinson addressed the fan backlash: “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, the emotion that is going to be blocked. And that’s something I’ve known from my days of studying acting.” He claimed his role on set was to “create the most conducive environment for the actor”.

Sweeney has also appears to have spoken about the nude scenes. She took to Instagram on 31 May to share a series of behind the scenes pics from the last season, including one from when she was nearly naked, with a python draped over her body. She said underneath the image: “It’s called… acting.”

Fans were also angry with the the season finale for killing off Zendaya’s character Rue via an accidental overdose. After being sober all season, the character was given pain pills that were laced fentanyl and died. Accidentally overdosing on fentanyl was the same way Euphoria star Angus Cloud died in in 2023.

Some fans felt the death was wrong as Rue had been sober all season. “What the hell is this show about ??? Rue has been sober since episode one how come she died from overdose in the last episode?” one wrote on X. Another added: “I think it’s safe to say that this was the worst season of Euphoria.”

But Levinson said this was an “honest” ending for Rue. “The honest ending is that people like Rue don’t make it. There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. I wanted to tell this story for Angus [Cloud] and for people who weren’t granted a second chance.”

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SYDNEY Sweeney left very little to the imagination as she almost fell out of a blue corset dress at Stagecoach.

Stunning Sydney, 28, made a surprising appearance on stage at Diplo’s Honkytonk during the 2026 Stagecoach Festival.

The Euphoria star looked sensational as she handed out knickers while on stage.

Sydney’s baby blue corset dress looked as though it was held up by luck alone as she appeared on stage.

Fans were so shocked by Sydney’s appearance at the festival, with many overjoyed to see her on stage.

After handing out panties from her SYRN lingerie line, she and Diplo took part in a fun karaoke session

PILLOW TALK

Euphoria’s raunchiest sex scenes as Sydney Sweeney strips down for new season

‘NEXT LEVEL’

Olivia Dunne wows as she poses for Sydney Sweeney’s skimpy lingerie brand SYRN

A video of Sweeney and Diplo was posted via the underwear brand’s Instagram stories on Saturday evening, with the caption: “@diplo Thanks for stopping by!!!”.

Fans rushed to the comments of the main post shared on SYRN’s Instagram reels, which showcased all of the famous guests who stopped by.

One fan said: “This whole look, I am in love.”

While another added: “The people’s princess.”

And a third wrote: “She’s too hot, it’s almost uncomfortable.”

Meanwhile, since the footage of Sydney made its way onto X, one person on the platform penned: “Love it. Love how she doesn’t give 2 sh*t’s about her haters and living her absolute best life with no apologies needed!!!”

“I love her so much,” said a second.

“She owns the damn place. She can do whatever the F she wants,” wrote a third.

“She looks stunning and she also looks happy and free. Haters gonna hate,” chimed a fourth.

While a fifth said: “Sydney is an ALL AMERICAN BADDIE!!”

“I love sydneys outfit,” swooned a sixth.

And a seventh gushed: “Sydney Sweeney is literally perfect.”

This comes as Sydney continues to enrage fans with her portrayal of Cassie in Euphoria.

Sydney plays the role of Cassie Howard in one of TV’s steamiest shows, with fans left angered by the level of raciness in its third season.

Cassie’s controversial new career choice as an OnlyFans model with a montage of raunchy photoshoots.

In one compromising position, Cassie licks a melting ice cream cone as it drips down her entire naked body – including on her bare chest.

Another shot showed Cassie, butt naked in nothing but a backwards baseball hat on her head and her hand covering her modesty.

These have not been the only controversial scenes in Euphoria season three thus far.

Sydney is dressed as a baby with a pacifier in her mouth in episode one.

Posing in a suggestive way with her legs open, fans were left fuming over the NSFW display.

ACTRESS Anne Hathaway steals the show in a red dress at the US premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 — but Sydney Sweeney was a no-show after her scenes were cut.

Anne, 43 — who wore a custom Louis Vuitton gown — was joined by co-stars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci for the screening.

British Bridgerton star Simone Ashley was also there, along with Lady Gaga, who worked on the music for the film and makes a cameo appearance.

But Euphoria star Sydney, 28, skipped the premiere in New York.

She had been pictured on set last year.

Sources said she shot a scene in which she played herself being dressed by Emily’s character Emily Charlton.

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However, it did not make the final cut as it was felt it did not work with the rest of the storyline.

The film’s stars are due back on the red carpet in London’s Leicester Square this evening for the European premiere.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 comes 20 years after the original, in which Anne played aspiring journalist Andy Sachs working for cruel magazine editor Miranda Priestly, played by Streep,

Anne has previously spoken about how it changed her career.

She said: “This film opened so many doors for me, and it gave me so many opportunities.

“It became this anchor for how audiences responded to me, and let me take a lot more risks and make a lot of weird choices in my career, because I have this warm hug to come back to.”