From the Twitter account of her self-proclaimed "walking awake" white lotus character Olivia to the pious Eden in The Handmaid's Tale, Sydney Sweeney tends to choose roles "very different" from who she really is.
"I actually try to find characters that I don't connect with at all because I find that challenge interesting," the Emmy-nominated actress told Deadline. "I always want to challenge myself so I can improve my craft."
Although she is selective about the characters she chooses to play, Sweeney finds that some roles end up being relatable.
One of those roles is Cassie Howard, a Los Angeles teenager who wants more than anything to be loved, on HBO Max. Euphoria. "Cassie, I think she's one of the characters that I identify with the most, because I look for other people's love and acceptance, and I'm scared to be alone," she continued. "I was a teenager too."
Although there is an element of familiarity to the overdramatic teenager that Cassie is, Sweeney swears that she is her method, and not her own memories of her, which shapes Cassie's character.
"I really feel everything that Cassie feels. I like to see it as if she's living and breathing the life of that character, and the moments that are happening really affect her," the 24-year-old actress said of her acting methods. "I'm just allowing whatever hits her to hit me. It's quite a process, but that's why I fell into acting."
What you see on the screen is Cassie": Sweeney on parting ways with her characters
While it may seem easy to blur the lines between self and role when her method of acting is so immersive, for Sydney Sweeney, it's almost deceptively simple.
"Before I even come on set, I can develop her so much as her own individual that I know her memories, the way she moves and talks, to the point where what you see on screen is Cassie," he shared when asked. He asked if it was difficult to separate from the paper. "I don't put my own memories and my own life experiences into a character. So, I can separate as completely as I need to."
And just because there are some similarities, Sweeney doesn't feel like she affected the challenge of the role; in fact, she has taught him a thing or two. "I think [Cassie] has completely taught me to let go of any insecurities that she may have. And she has taught me to allow myself to completely immerse myself in her emotions,” she said. “It's been a really beautiful experience to be able to play all the different and crazy emotions of hers that she's had to deal with. It's been a lot of fun."
