Woman Crush Wednesday: ‘Euphoria’ Star Sydney Sweeney is the Queen of Streaming

By Claire Spellberg @c_spellberg
Published June 19, 2019, 1:00 p.m. ET

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This Woman Crush Wednesday, we’re giving a long overdue shout-out to an actress whose career has blown up in the past year. No matter whether you’re watching Netflix, Hulu, or HBO, you’re bound to catch a glimpse of this shape-shifting star, so it’s no surprise that we’re already crushing hard (and we’re sure you are too). Give it up for Sydney Sweeney!

WHO’S THAT GAL: Sydney Sweeney

WHY WE’RE CRUSHING: Is there anything Sydney Sweeney can’t do? In the past year, Sweeney’s career has taken off in a big way with roles in in the short-lived Netflix comedy Everything Sucks! (justice for this show, tbh), The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2, Sharp Objects, and more. But this young star has nowhere to go but up: if her performance in HBO’s Euphoria is any indication, the 21-year-old actress has got some serious range that directors would be remiss not to take advantage of.

Whether she’s playing an angsty drama student, a pious child-bride, a drug addict battling mental illness, or a teen ostracized by her peers, Sweeney fully transforms into the character. In Euphoria in particular, Sweeney is given a chance to shine as Cassie Howard, a sweet girl who is haunted by the nude photos of her circulating around school. The 21-year-old actress makes it easy to empathize with Cassie, who wants nothing more than to shed her unfair reputation, but more importantly, she makes the character stand out among Euphoria‘s large ensemble cast. We’re only one episode in, but we can’t wait to see where Cassie’s storyline will take us.

Sweeney has dozens of TV and movie credits under her belt, so it’s no surprise that the young star is kicking ass and taking names onscreen. Turn on your television and you’ll find her: she’s made appearances in Heroes, Criminal Minds, 90210, Grey’s Anatomy, Pretty Little Liars, and more. In roles small and large, Sweeney turns the character into her own and makes viewers absolutely fall in love with her. Who knows if it’s intentional, but it’s definitely working on us.

WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Call her the Queen of Streaming. In early 2018, Sweeney made a name for herself in Netflix’s Everything Sucks!, a comedy series about a the members of a high school A.V. club. Sweeney plays Emaline, a theater student who seems to be in love with her equally-dramatic boyfriend, but quickly realizes that she may have feelings for Kate, the principal’s daughter.

Just a few months later, Sweeney popped up in The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2 as Eden, the teenage girl assigned to marry Nick (Max Minghella). Eden, a child-bride, is understandably nervous about everything that marriage entails, but as a true believer in Gilead’s oppressive religion, she does everything she can to make her relationship with Nick work.

After nailing roles on Netflix and Hulu, it was time for Sweeney to give HBO a try. Over the summer, she was featured in Sharp Objects as Alice, Camille’s former roommate in rehab. The actress continued her run as an angsty teen in HBO’s Euphoria, as well as films including Big Time Adolescence, Under the Silver Lake, and Clementine.

WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER AGAIN: If the first episode of Euphoria left you desperate for more, you’re in luck: there are seven more episodes left (you can watch Euphoria every Sunday night at 10/9c on HBO) to witness Sweeney’s greatness. After that, you can catch her on the big screen, where she’ll be starring in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Sweeney joins an all-star cast that includes Margot Robbie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and more in what’s been widely-considered the most anticipated film of the summer. Check her out when Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood hits theaters on July 26.

Watch Euphoria on HBO