Sydney Sweeney might have portrayed the entitled Olivia Mossbacher on the first season of The White Lotus, but not everything— including the role—has been handed to the actress so easily. According to the actress, she had to fight and audition for the role just like everyone else and, what’s more, is that producers initially didn’t think she was right for the part— and it’s because of her Euphoria character Cassie Howard. What’s become clear is that the character, not only ruined her onscreen friendship with her bestie Maddy Perez, but also endangered Sweeney’s chances of even being considered for The White Lotus.
Sweeney has been through the ringer on her climb to prominence in from her struggle with being typecast to even being told she lacked the “right look” for television. Despite the range of roles Sweeney has landed on projects including Everything Sucks!, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Sharp Objects, the actress still seems to be enduring quite the adversity while navigating her career in Hollywood.
Why Sydney Sweeney Almost Wasn’t Cast In The White Lotus
Sydney Sweeney played the snarky, supposedly woke Olivia Mossbacher on the first season of The White Lotus. The actress played the part so well, she managed to pioneer the series’ satirical message through the portrayal of a holier-than-thou teenage girl. But, Sweeney’s excellent onscreen delivery aside, the actress opened up to in an interview with Variety about almost not getting the part in The White Lotus, as well as her recent role as Reality Winner in the 2023 American drama film Reality.
“There’s always people who see me as Cassie or see me as Olivia. They send me scripts that are just like that. It’s the ones I have to fight for that usually are the ones that I want that are different, like ‘Reality.’ I had to audition for it. I had to put myself on tape and send in my audition just like everybody else,” she explained.
“It was the same for ‘White Lotus.’ They didn’t think that I was right for ‘White Lotus,’ because I did ‘Euphoria.’ So I put myself on tape, I auditioned for ‘White Lotus’ just like everybody else and had a call back like everybody else,” she continued.
Sweeney also expressed that the roles she’s gotten are the types of roles that often aren’t offered to her. “I could get offered roles that are similar to the ones that I’ve played, but the ones that are different, the ones that surprise people that I do, are the ones that I usually have to fight for.”
Sydney Sweeney Almost Wasn’t Cast In Euphoria Either
Before the actress was cast on The White Lotus, she rose to prominence as Cassie Howard on Euphoria. But the role of Cassie also was one that nearly slipped through the actress’ fingers.In fact, Sweeney has confessed that she almost wasn’t cast on Euphoria and was once told not to audition for the role altogether. The actress shared in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she was initially told that Euphoria‘s casting director didn’t think she was right for the role of Cassie — a sweet, popular girl whose insecurities and daddy issues drive her into the arms of boys at school — and that she shouldn’t bother coming in to audition.
Her agent — she’s been with the same reps at Paradigm for her entire career— had other clients who’d gone in to read for the part and was willing to pass Sweeney the script. She eventually put herself on tape, reading with her mom, and sent it to the Euphoria team. They booked her directly.
As much as it may seem so, Sweeney hasn’t been an overnight sensation— she’s had her fair share of financial struggles.The actress, who now has a net worth in the millions, once lived in a motel room with her mother. Sweeney made it clear that Hollywood is no easy walk in the park, and that, she had had to work extremely hard to get to where she is today.
“I had no idea getting into this industry how many people have connections. I started from ground zero, and I know how f***ing hard it is. Now I see how someone can just walk in a door, and I’m like, ‘I worked my f***ing a** off for 10 years for this,’” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sydney Sweeny Was Once Told She’ll ‘Never Be On A Television Show’
Sounds like the harshest thing to say to an aspiring actress, but yes, Sydney Sweeney was once told her “look” would keep her from landing a television job, “A casting director told me once that I will never be on a TV show,” she said, adding that she apparently didn’t have the “right look”. “Now, I’m on some of the biggest TV shows in the world.”
“I had someone tell me once, it was [someone’s] mother, actually…” she added about another encounter. “I’m a very active person. I get hurt. I get bruises. I get cuts. I think I came back from laser tag, and I had rug burns all over my legs because I got really into it. And she sat me up on the counter and told me that no boy will ever love me if I have marks on my body. I told her, ‘Well, I guess I’m just gonna have to love myself.‘”
Well, look at her now. Sydney Sweeney is booked and busy snagging prominent roles as well as securing many bikini, wardrobe and beauty brand endorsements that make the actress extra cash. The actress has opened up about how she wants to impact the younger generation, showing them that they can achieve anything even if— like her— they come from nothing.
“I’ve experienced the way that I don’t want to live, and I don’t want my future children to have to go through the same struggles, or see me stress in the same way that my parents did,” she stated. “Nor do I want to see my family have to stress the way that we used to. I definitely try to control as much as possible, and then have everything put together to stay secure. I want to show younger generations that you can do anything, even if you don’t have the means or the connections.”