In an interview with British GQ, Sydney Sweeney touched on the impact of Euphoria’s immense spotlight. The Emmy-nominated actor has been quite candid in her remarks on portraying the role of Cassie, particularly when it comes to her televised nude scenes, but as she revealed, there is a downside to all that attention.

Sydney Sweeney told GQ, there was a period of time in which she had to deal with unwarranted online trolling. She shared that after the first season of Euphoria, some social media trolls would screenshot her nude scenes and then tag her family members in the photos. “My cousins don’t need that,” she said. “It’s completely disgusting and unfair.”

She continued, saying, “You have a character that goes through the scrutiny of being a sexualized person at school and then an audience that does the same thing.”

She admitted that despite the increased attention, she doesn’t intend to avoid the spotlight, saying, “I’m an artist, I play characters. It makes me want to play characters that p*ss people off more.”

The Euphoria actor shared similar sentiments in a 2021 interview with Teen Vogue, noting that she compartmentalized her nude scenes. “The easiest way that I’ve handled and separated myself from it is — and not everyone is going to agree — I’ve made it where when I see that picture, that is not me. That is Cassie. Or that is Pippa. You’re getting to see character, and me as Sydney is very separate. When I see a picture like that, I truly say, that’s Cassie’s nude, or that’s Pippa’s nude,” she said.

The GQ interview also included Sydney sharing her hopes for Cassie’s Euphoria future. It’s expected to be awhile before the HBO series returns, but Sydney is dreaming of exploring a new side to her character. “There was a moment there when Cassie started learning how to manipulate Nate. think it would be fun to play into that power she learned she had,” she said.