Some actors take on roles that might be difficult for their families to watch.
Sydney Sweeney, known for her role in Euphoria, faced this challenge. The show deals with intense themes, including drug use and relationships, making it an uncomfortable watch for some. While Sweeney’s career has taken off, her role in Euphoria came with struggles.
She found it harder to land roles that were different from what people had seen her do on the show. Speaking in an interview, Sweeney explained that she had to work hard to prove herself.
“It’s the ones I have to fight for that usually are the ones that I want that are different,” she said. She had to audition like everyone else for her role in Reality. The same happened with 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, and had a call back like everybody else.”
Even though she was getting offers for similar roles, she had to push harder for opportunities that allowed her to show a different side of her acting skills.
While she was proving herself in Hollywood, some of her family members found her Euphoria scenes difficult to watch.
In another interview, she shared that her mom was aware of the storyline because she had visited the set. However, her dad and some other relatives were not prepared.
“My mom visited me on set at the time, so she knew the story. I talked to her a lot about it—my dad didn’t. Yeah, I didn’t prepare my dad. At all.”
He decided to watch the show on his own, without telling her, and even watched it with other family members. He wasn’t ready for what he saw.
“I mean, how do you bring it up in conversation?” she said. “And also, when I talk to my dad, it’s usually not about work.”
Her dad and grandfather ended up turning off the show and walking out. But not everyone reacted the same way.
“My grandma is a big supporter of mine. She’s a big fan. I bring her all over the world to my different sets and I make her an extra.”
Not everyone in the family could sit through the show, but Sweeney continues to take on new roles and prove herself in the industry.