Despite Cassie Howard and Maddy Perez’s strained friendship on Euphoria, the actresses who play them share a bond that’s quite the opposite.
When chatting about her recent Dreamy Skin campaign with Laneige, Sydney Sweeney opened up to PEOPLE exclusively about her real-life friendship with costar Alexa Demie — who plays Maddy on the HBO-hit series, while Sweeney plays her on-again-off-again BFF Cassie.
Although the actresses differ from their roles on the show, there are several similarities that they share with their respective characters. For Demie specifically, that’s confidence — and just like Zendaya’s Rue Bennett points it out in the first episode of Euphoria, Sweeney admires it in real life.
“I’m always so impressed by how confident Alexa is with whatever she’s wearing and however her makeup is,” Sweeney, 25, tells PEOPLE of Demie, 32, when asked if a costar had shared a beauty tip that stuck with her the most — though noted that it wasn’t necessarily something that had “specifically been said” her.
While there’s certainly no shortage of style moments on Euphoria (as the YTK-channeled looks and glittery bold makeup has defined the fashion zeitgeist since its season 1 release in 2019) — the actresses themselves haven’t shied away from glam off-screen either, when they’re not in character.
Whether Demie’s walking red carpets or gracing the covers of magazine, that confidence shines through — but despite what it may seem like from the outside, Sweeney acknowledges that her force comes from within.
“I think that it really just shows how it comes from inside,” says the Emmy-nominated actress of Demie. “She just rocks whatever she has going on… I’m always so captivated by that. I hope that I can kind of take a little bit of her confidence one day.”
As for the costar who’s the “most fun” to sit alongside in the glam chair? “I’d have to say Maude [Apatow] (who plays Cassie’s sister, Lexi Howard, in Euphoria), just because she and I are best friends and we are like sisters,” reveals Sweeney. So whenever we’re just together, it’s like being with your best friend.”
Seemingly, there are several similarities between the actresses and their Euphoria characters — but Demie’s confidence and the Howard’s sisterly bond aren’t the only ones who share commonalities. If there’s one thing that’s most alike between Sweeney and Cassie in real life, that’s their love for skincare.
Although Sweeney admits that Cassie’s skincare routine is “a little bit on the intense side” in the show, the actress herself still makes it a priority in the morning, at night and throughout the day — turning to Laneige because she’s “a huge fan of the products,” she tells PEOPLE from the shoot ahead of the launch.
“I actually use them!” she’s sure to add. For Sweeney, that’s “really important” when she’s collaborating with a brand. “I want to make sure that I’m being very authentic to my audience.”
Her latest campaign with the Laneige marks the second time the actress has partnered with the skincare brand since spring 2022. “Being able to come back and be with them has been really exciting,” she says.