'Euphoria’ star Sydney Sweeney reveals she was told 'you’ll never be on TV' because of one reason
Sydney Sweeney initially appeared in the independent horror movie 'ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction' after trying out for her first part in her hometown of Idaho in 2009. Sweeney achieved her big break by portraying Cassie Howard in HBO's drama series 'Euphoria' in 2019. However, the Emmy-nominated actress revealed in an exclusive with British GQ magazine in 2022 that she wasn't considered cut for Hollywood. "A casting director told me once that I will never be on a TV show," she recalled. She added that the director didn't think she had the "right look."
"Now, I'm on some of the biggest TV shows in the world," Sweeney remarked referring to her meteoric success. The same year while appearing on the 'Live Kelly and Ryan' podcast show 'The White Lotus' the actress confessed to facing numerous rejections before landing in the entertainment industry. "There's a lot of rejection in this industry and you have to have tough skin and you have to stick in it so but it goes to show you you are always talented," she said. When asked if she ever contacted the particular casting director who ridiculed her early on in her career.
Sweeney replied, "I have not. I hope they watch all the shows though I'm sure they're very aware of my success." She also talked about how the mother of one of her peers said she would never be loved and criticized her appearance. "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," the 'Eden' actress told the fashion magazine. "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." She continued, "I told her, well, I guess I'm just gonna have to love myself."
Sweeney boasts of over 23 million followers on Instagram and her net worth has skyrocketed to over $40 million since her not-so-noteworthy debut. As per The Hollywood Reporter, in 2023, she took home a paycheck of $2 million for her role in the rom-com 'Anyone But You', Sweeney also earned an additional $250,000 for her role as an executive producer. She took $750,000 for 'Madame Web' although the Marvel film did not perform as expected at the worldwide box office. Sweeney earned $250,000 from the critically acclaimed horror film 'Immaculate'. After being part of several award-winning projects she has managed to conquer a place among the A-listers by demanding a $7.5 million paycheck for the 2024 thriller 'The Housemaid.'
Sydney Sweeney has become one of the industry's most in-demand actresses.
— best of sydney sweeney (@sydneyfiles) October 31, 2024
She is one of the highest paid actresses of her generation after recent paydays.
She will get $7M for her new film ‘THE HOUSEMAID’. pic.twitter.com/IAsgbpATe7
Meanwhile, in an exclusive with The Hollywood Reporter in 2022, Sweeney remarked that she still isn't getting paid as per her worth. “If I wanted to take a six-month break, I don’t have the income to cover that,” she said, adding, “I don’t have someone supporting me, I don’t have anyone I can turn to, to pay my bills or call for help.” She concluded, “The established stars still get paid, but I have to give 5 percent to my lawyer, 10 percent to my agents, 3 percent or something like that to my business manager. I have to pay my publicist every month, and that’s more than my mortgage.”