“There are hour-long compilations of world-famous male actors with nude scenes who win Oscars and get praised for that work. But the moment a woman does it, it degrades them,” Sydney Sweeney said
Syndey Sweeney is calling out Hollywood’s double standard when it comes to actors and actresses filming nude scenes.

In Cosmopolitan’s latest cover story, the Euphoria actress spoke about her own experience shooting nude scenes and how the repercussions are different for women in the entertainment business.

“I’m so disconnected from it. When I get tagged in Cassie’s or Pippa from The Voyeurs’ nudes, it feels like me looking at their nudes, not Sydney’s nudes,” said Sweeney, 24. “When you film one of these scenes, it is so technical and so not romantic. There are people staring at you, there’s pads between you, there are nipple covers and weird sticker thongs all up in your butt.”

Specifically recalling the first time she saw her nude scenes from The Voyeurs, Sweeney admitted: “I wondered if I’d done too much.”

“I researched celebrities who have done nude scenes, trying to make myself feel better,” she continued. “There are hour-long compilations of world-famous male actors with nude scenes who win Oscars and get praised for that work. But the moment a woman does it, it degrades them.”

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“They’re not actresses. They just take off their tops so they can get a role,” she added. “There’s such a double standard and I really hope I can have a little part in changing that.”

To help steer this change, Sweeney is getting involved in the behind-the-scenes aspect of the business with the launch of her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films.

“I’m obsessed with branding and marketing. I love the idea of being like, ‘Okay, I love this project, now how can I make this consumable to a mass-market?’ So I called my agents and was like, ‘Do you think this is something I can achieve?'” she recalled to the publication. “They’ve always believed in everything I put my mind to, so they supported me and sent me books to consider.”

In having more creative control with Fifty-Fifty Films, the White Lotus actress said she was surprised to learn “how many steps it takes to get something made.”

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“There are so many hurdles and passageways and people,” she said. “Two, as much as people in the industry say they support young female voices, I’m still having to fight, even among older women. I was told that I couldn’t get a credit I believed I deserved, and I couldn’t get my company’s name on a project I was developing. I have my theories why. Maybe they feel like we’re getting it too easy.”

She continued, “I was told I have to do multiple things before I can get a credit like that, as if I didn’t deserve it. And that came from women. I found that very surprising. Everyone puts on the charade that we’re supporting each other, but I have not felt that fully yet.”

Sweeney’s acting résumé has been built with credits on shows including The Handmaid’s Tale and Sharp Objects, but her role on Euphoria as love-hungry teen Cassie Howard helped to make her a household name.

On the acclaimed HBO series, Sweeney has had to shoot quite a few nude scenes. The Washington native previously revealed she had a conversation with series creator Sam Levinson about her character’s unnecessary nudity on the show.

“There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here,'” she told the Independent last month. “He was like, ‘Okay, we don’t need it.’ I’ve never felt like Sam has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show. When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”

But Sweeney admitted that not all filming situations have gone as smoothly.

“I’ve had experiences where I want to go home and scrub myself completely raw because I feel disgusting,” she said, recalling one situation where she blames the director for failing to properly communicate and being unwilling to adjust. “I didn’t feel comfortable with my castmate or the crew, and I just didn’t feel like my character would be doing it. That made me even more self-conscious. I didn’t feel like I was able to speak up.”

Sweeney, nonetheless, is still “proud” of the work she’s been able to do throughout her career thus far.

“With The White Lotus, I felt like people were finally recognizing the hard work I’ve been doing,” she told the publication. “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.”

Added Sweeney, “I do The White Lotus and all of a sudden critics are paying attention. People are loving me. They’re going, ‘Oh, my God, what’s she doing next?’ I was like, ‘Did you not see that in Euphoria? Did you not see that in The Handmaid’s Tale?'”

Euphoria airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.