Sydney Sweeney Says ‘Euphoria’ Director Sam Levinson Doesn’t Deserve to Be “Completely Trashed by the Public”

Sydney Sweeney is the latest Euphoria star to stand by controversial director Sam Levinson, who has continued to receive heat from audiences after the release of his second infamous HBO series, The Idol.

Sweeney has worked with Levinson for years now, first collaborating with the director on Euphoria Season 1, which premiered in June 2019. She stars as high schooler Cassie Howard on the series, which follows a group of teens in L.A. as they navigate growing up.

While Euphoria has emerged as a ratings hit for HBO, it’s also attracted its fair share of criticism, most of it lobbed at Levinson for the way his show portrays sex and how it frequently features nudity, especially from its female characters.

In a recent interview with Variety, Sweeney defended Levinson and insisted that art is nothing if it doesn’t stir up controversy, which Euphoria (and The Idol) certainly has.

“Chaos thrives on that set, because that’s when the most incredible art is made,” she said of working on Euphoria, which has been renewed for a third season.

She went on to defend Levinson and her other co-stars, claiming that rumors about the Euphoria set have spiraled out of control and don’t accurately reflect the working conditions on the series.

“You have me, you have [Zendaya], you have all of these very strongminded, independent women. If we didn’t feel comfortable with something, or we saw something we didn’t like, we’d all speak up,” she said of the Euphoria cast. “It’s hard to see someone completely trashed by the public and the media when no one’s actually there. We are there, and clearly we’re still working on the show, and we’re still supportive.”

“The point is making people uncomfortable, and thinking outside the box. What else is the point of art?” Sweeney continued, before explaining how working on Euphoria empowered her: “For me, I feel so free and confident now. And I’ve found that through Cassie.”

Her comments come after Sweeney said in an interview with U.K. outlet The Independent last year that she sometimes asked Levinson to cut nude scenes for her character. She said at the time, “There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’ He was like, ‘OK, we don’t need it.'”

She added, “I’ve never felt like Sam has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show. When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”

The Idol and Euphoria are now streaming on Max.