Sam Levinson reveals the one request Syndey Sweeney had for her ‘Euphoria’ character
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson has shed some light on the creative direction Sydney Sweeney provided for her character, Cassie Howard, in the third season of the hit drama show.
In 2019, Levinson created the HBO teen drama series, which has given rise to some of the biggest names in the industry, including Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, and Zendaya.
In the trailer for the third season, the chaotic characters are depicted five years on from their high school life; in particular, Sweeney’s character is an OnlyFans model and is soon to be married to conflicted high-school sweetheart, played by Elordi, though everything is not as breezy as it appears online.
Levinson previously revealed that her character is “very addicted to social media and envious of what appears to be the big lives that all of her high school classmates are living at this point in time.”
Speaking newly to The New York Times ahead of the third season, Levinson responded to claims that the theme of exploitation and fame underpinning Sweeney’s character is oddly reminiscent of her real life, insisting, “It’s always about what’s best for the character.”
He elaborated, “We always talk about the layers of irony in the show. I adore Sydney, and she’s so much fun to work with.”
Levinson then made the admission that Sweeney had a single request for her character when he was writing the third season: “Before I wrote this season, she called me, and she said, ‘Just do me one favor: Make sure Cassie’s crazy.'”
Gesturing towards her larger-than-life character, Levinson added, “You don’t often see a girl that beautiful be that desperate, and I think it’s that combination of her desperation and need for validation that makes the character so brilliant.”
He then revealed cheekily, “There’s a moment in Episode 5 where she says, ‘I’m gonna be a household name,’ that is one of the funniest moments we have.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the writer, producer, and director also admitted to feeling “angry” when he heard the news of Angus Cloud’s passing in 2023. The 25-year-old, who played a drug dealer on the show, passed away from a drug overdose; Levinson was close with the star and helped him numerous times in an attempt toward sobriety.
The third season of Euphoria will land on April 12th. Beyond Sweeney’s storyline, Zendaya’s Rue is in debt to drug dealer Laurie, Hunter Schafer’s Jules is an art school student, Alexa Demie’s Maddy is an aspiring talent agent, and Maude Apatow’s Lexi is a showrunner’s assistant to Sharon Stone.
The series will also welcome a host of new names, including Trisha Paytas, Natasha Lyonne, Danielle Deadwyler, and Eli Roth.
Last year, Sweeney sparked major controversy in light of her American Eagle advertisement; the slogan for the campaign – “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” – was seen as a reference to eugenics and the fact that Sweeney has blonde hair and blue eyes. Eventually, Donald Trump weighed in to support Sweeney, after it emerged that she was a registered Republican voter.
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