Sydney Sweeney first walked into the GLAMOUR Los Angeles offices in May of 2018. The purpose: a meet ’n’ greet – a 30-minute get-to-know-you casual conversation. She was 20. Her hair was light brown. I don’t remember much of what we talked about other than I was quite impressed with her résumé already (several episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale and an upcoming role in Sharp Objects, opposite Amy Adams). Afterwards, I emailed her publicist to say I looked forward to what was to come.
Recognising star talent is part of the job, but even I couldn’t have predicted the speed at which Sydney would dominate Hollywood. What I do know is that every time I saw Sydney thereafter – whether at a premiere or an event – she was exactly the same cheerful, smart and thoughtful individual I met back in 2018.
And yet, she wasn’t.
Because of that rapid ascent (namely from the success of The White Lotus and Euphoria, which has helped her accrue a cool 16 million Instagram followers), Hollywood has toughened Sydney.
When we speak over Zoom, Sydney is in Australia, where she’s in pre-production on Ron Howard’s latest movie, Eden. Having had massive success so young, she says, “There is no handbook, there is no correct way.” Knowing what she does now though, she does admit, “I think if I would’ve known all that came along with it, I would’ve probably lived my life as a kid longer. I grew up really fast.”
It’s seven in the morning for Sydney, but she’s been up for hours. She’s not just an actor for hire; she’s also a producer. And a brand ambassador (for the likes of Miu Miu, Armani and Ford). And CEO of her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films. She works upward of 18 hours a day, seven days a week.
And yet, sometimes it seems all the headlines Sydney generates are the details of her personal life or her body. (“The biggest misconception about me is that I’m a dumb blonde with big tits,” she hilariously stated during her GLAMOUR Unfiltered video shoot.)
In fact, it is her latest project – this month’s Anyone But You, released in cinemas nationwide on December 26 – that has been making just such headlines since the spring, when she and co-star Glen Powell were pictured looking close while filming in Australia. Nevermind that they were filming a rom-com about two people who fake being a couple, and in real life were both in relationships.
“It was really hard on Glen, which made me sad… because [otherwise] it was such a beautiful experience for the both of us. I care for him so much,” she says.
Sydney speculates the fascination was rooted in the fact that she’s hardly pictured with her real-life partner, businessman and producer, Jonathan Davino. “Also, I’ve never really shared that much [about my relationship], so the press loves to create drama in stories,” she says.
In hindsight, a great experience like Anyone But You means more now as Sydney looks ahead to filming season three of Euphoria next year, especially given the tragic news this summer about the untimely passing of her co-star, Angus Cloud, who died from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 25.
The third season of Euphoria won’t premiere on HBO until 2025, but filming will begin in 2024. As much as Sydney’s looking forward to reprising her role of Cassie Howard (“I’m very excited, but I can’t say anything [about the new season],” she says), there will no doubt be an added heaviness on set.
“[My costars and I] were constantly on the phone with each other crying, because it was just such a shock,” she says about first hearing the news.
“I don’t think it’ll truly feel real or hit me until we’re filming and I won’t see Angus on set.
“(At least) when we are filming, all of our eyes are on each other and we’re there for each other, just in a different way than we’re able to when we’re all in very separate places in the world. It’s really interesting when someone passes away in our industry, because they’re still alive in so many forms.”
And yet, being back at work might also prove healing. As dark as the storylines (addiction, abortion, abuse) are on Euphoria, it’s also an emotional outlet for Sydney.
“Cassie is definitely the closest – especially in season one – to me that I’ve played and she means a lot to me. But it’s almost like therapy: where I can let out so much… that when I go home, I feel free.”
While Euphoria focuses on a group of troubled teenagers with hard-hitting storylines, Sydney’s own – very different – adolescence has been heavily documented.
The TL;DR version is that she grew up in a small city near Spokane on the border of Idaho and Washington, with her younger brother, Trent. Her parents did everything they could to help their daughter achieve her dream. She has previously revealed she presented them a five-year business plan when she was 11, hoping her former criminal defence lawyer mum and hospitality worker dad would let her act for a living. They did, moving the family to LA when Sydney was 13. But the roles were sparse and expenses piled up. Her parents eventually split and filed for bankruptcy. Sydney admits that it was taxing.
“I was auditioning for six years before I got anything major,” she recounts. “That was really hard.”
But it only made her more determined. Perhaps that is why whenever she gets a break, her first choice is to go home to Spokane to be with family.
“It’s this interesting dynamic where my cousins are all like, ‘You’re still so young, but you’ve accomplished so much,’ she says. “My aunts all love saying, ‘I would change your diapers, and look at you now!’”
Look at her now, indeed. Since starring in The Handmaid’s Tale and Sharp Objects, she’s starred in Quentin Tarantino’s double Oscar-grabbing Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood, and accrued two Emmy nominations in 2022, for her role as Olivia Mossbacher in season one of The White Lotus, and as Cassie Howard in Euphoria. Earlier this year, she earned critical praise for her stripped-down role as Reality Winner in HBO’s Reality and currently has a half dozen other high-profile projects either completed or in the works.
They say, ‘Be careful what you wish for’; however, Sydney was willing to do all the work necessary and make many compromises along the way to achieve her dreams. She became what’s known as ‘Legal 18’ when she was 15 years old, so she could legally work on entertainment projects as if she was an adult.
Her latest project is the critically-acclaimed Reality.
“I was doing very low-budget, indie movies, working 12-to-14-hour days,” she remembers. I didn’t have a set teacher, so when I got home, I was trying to catch up on my schoolwork. I didn’t go to prom or other dances.” She doesn’t regret it, but it still makes her nostalgic for what life could have been as a more ‘normal’ teen. “I wish I would’ve experienced all of that stuff as a teenager, because now there are parts of me that want to experience life that can’t, just because the media and the public don’t let people make mistakes,” she says. “It’s really hard to grow as a real person any more, because there’s so many eyes on you.”
That goes for her love life, too. “Everyone is always so curious about who I’m with and what’s that like, but I think it’s important to have something for me. I’m very open [otherwise]. I talk about so much and sometimes it gets me in trouble, but I do try to keep something for me.”
She explains that often the media and internet will list ‘facts’ about her love life, which are entirely made up. “It’s crazy,” she says. “And then when you Google it, it’s all wrong information.”
So let’s set the record straight, I suggest. She agrees, for fact-checking purposes.
Yes, his name is Jonathan Davino and he’s 38. But “he’s not a restaurateur,” she says. “I have no idea where that came from. He’s also not the heir of a pizza company,” as has been previously reported, she says. “He’s a business guy. He’s from Chicago. We’ve been watching [this narrative] for six years now and I’m like, ‘What the hell?’”
She goes on to surmise that because she’s never talked about him, people create their own stories. “I’ve been in a steady relationship for a really long time, which is not normal in this industry and not normal for my age. What I’ve noticed about the idea of celebrity is people really love to build someone up, and then tear them down.”
However, Sydney is becoming a bit more open about her love life – especially because Jonathan works alongside her. “We produced [Anyone But You] together,” she says. “Jonathan is my producing partner, so he helped put the whole thing together. It’s really great to work with someone who knows you so well, who fully supports your ideas, your vision and your voice…” She stops before adding, “And it’s nice. I mean, who doesn’t want to be with their best friend all the time?” Sydney also admits that producing was not something he did prior to their meeting about six years ago, but it’s been a natural fit. “I just wanted to bring everybody into my world.”
While she won’t reveal whether there is truth behind widespread reports that she is engaged (“No comment,” she says), she’s much freer talking about marriage and kids in general.
“I think about having four kids. I dream of teaching them how to ski when they’re little and having them follow me around on adventures, taking them on hikes, teaching them how to build tree houses, just living through their imagination. That’s something I really, really look forward to.”
As for when that might be, Sydney says that when she’s in Los Angeles or New York, she thinks “I’d be crazy if I had a kid or got married before I’m 30,” but when she goes home, “All my friends or cousins are married and having kids. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m behind the train right now. How can I pick it up?’ So honestly it’s where I am in the world. It’s crazy.”
She continues, saying, “I've gotten to that point where I think that whenever it’s going to happen, it’s supposed to happen. It’s like that one thing in life that maybe you can’t plan – the perfect timing. I love to schedule my life, I love to know everything that is going on, I like to have a plan. I like to have my whole year scheduled out.”
She says that if she doesn’t make time for having a family, “I’ll just work my entire life away, because I love what I do. Otherwise, time will flash before my eyes and I’ll be like, ‘I missed out on the important things.’”
As for whether she’ll get married before having kids, Sydney says her grandmothers “would definitely love and appreciate it, but whether that works out, we’ll see”. Regardless, marriage is in the cards, even if she doesn’t know when. “I definitely will get married one day,” she states emphatically.
In fact, she admits she has already thought about it. “What girl doesn’t create a Pinterest board for their wedding?” she asks. “I started making that when I was like 10. I don’t have a colour scheme yet. I’m more of an experience planner, so I’m like, ‘What experience do I want to give people? Are we going on a tropical vacation? Are we doing a carnival?’”
I ask if Jonathan has seen this Pinterest board, and she laughs and says no. “This is definitely a ‘Sydney World’ board. It’s what’s nice about being the boss of your own life. You don’t have to go to other people for answers, or yes or no.”
It’s that confidence and vision that Sydney is leaning into more than ever before, both personally and professionally. She says that whenever she decides to start a family, she “would love to change the public’s opinion of having a kid and still being on top of your game”, noting, “that’s where a lot of my fear comes from.” She wonders whether she will be “at the same level that I was on [professionally] or will I not be hired any more or will everyone’s opinion of me change? That in itself is so crazy and sad that we’re still living in a time like that,” she says.
I assume it’s not a fear that has come out of nowhere and is most likely based on what others have said to her. In not so many words, she agrees. “I definitely feel the pressure,” she says. “You realise that your decisions are what make people money.”
She’s referring, of course, to the Sydney Sweeney brand she’s been able to build as the result of her hard-earned success. If her personal dream is to have a family, then her professional dream is to establish herself as a producing powerhouse.
“I really love producing and I dream about projects all the time,” she says. “I got to produce the [upcoming] film Immaculate from the ground up, [as well as] Anyone But You.” She also wants to direct, but concedes she “might do it once and never do it again. I like trying out everything”.
Being involved in that process is one reason Sydney jumped at the chance to be part of another high-profile project earlier this year. In September, The Rolling Stones dropped their music video for Angry, the first single off their upcoming album Hackney Diamonds. Sweeney was the star of the video, rocking out in black studded chaps and a corset while riding in a convertible, tossing her hair and singing along.
“I felt hot,” she says as soon as I bring it up. “I picked my own outfit out of racks and racks of clothes. I felt so good in it.” The video provoked some commentary online about her sexual objectification and Sydney uses this moment to bring up feminism.
“One of the questions I get is, ‘Are you a feminist?’ I find empowerment through embracing the body that I have. That’s sexy and strong, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I’m in a Rolling Stones video. How cool and iconic is that? I felt so good. All the moves, everything I was doing was all freestyle. I mean, who else gets to roll around on the top of a convertible driving down Sunset Boulevard with police escorts? It’s the cool things in this career that I had no idea I’d get to do.”
A month before The Rolling Stones video dropped, Sydney got to launch something else “cool” – she unveiled a swimsuit collection with Frankies Bikinis called Love Letters by Sydney Sweeney. “If I’m at the beach, I want tiny little straps and cute colours. If I’m at the lake, I want support so I can jump off any rock and not have to worry about my tits falling out.”
Now, as someone that comes from a different generation (an elder millennial, thank you very much) asking about ‘tits’ does not come naturally, but I’m impressed at the openness with which Sydney discusses her body. It feels like this is Sydney’s way of taking the power back. So, how does it feel when – like this morning – the Daily Mail has already run a headline referencing her “very busty display”?
“Well, especially when it comes to red-carpet pics and they’re like, ‘Sydney Sweeney displays bust,’ or ‘Sydney Sweeney wears a scandalous dress,’ I’m like, ‘I’m wearing the exact same dress someone else would be wearing! I just have tits.’ And if someone else is wearing it, they’d be like, ‘Oh, so sleek and so well-mannered.’ Just because I have boobs, it doesn’t change…” she trails off before adding, “I understand. I get it. It’s your headline. And those won’t change because then they won’t get the clicks.”
Regardless, Sydney isn’t letting it stop her from wearing what she wants. “Flaunt what you got. Own it. Love them,” she says. “When I was in high school, I used to feel uncomfortable about how big my boobs were and I used to say that when I turned 18, I was going to get a boob job to make them smaller. And my mom told me, ‘Don’t do it. You’ll regret it in college.’ And I’m so glad I didn’t. I like them. They’re my best friends. Everybody’s body is beautiful. When you are confident and you’re happy within is when it really shows to other people.”
It took a long time for Sydney to learn that; in high school she often wore oversize sweatshirts to disguise her breast size. “I went through that process of covering my body up at such a young age, but once I became more confident with myself, [it changed]. I want to show girls that it’s amazing and beautiful and empowering to have the bodies that we have.”
So what, then, if she wants to post photos of herself in a low-cut swimsuit on Instagram? She’s happy and feeling good. Plus, given the turmoil in the world right now, she’s not trying to use social media for anything other than to entertain and give a window into her life. “I definitely keep my social media focused towards the work that I’m doing and sprinkle in a little bit of myself in there,” she says. “I didn’t go to school to learn politics or social [issues], so I don’t think speaking on things that I’m not fully educated on is the correct way to use my social media presence.”
It’s a different approach than a lot of Gen-Zers, who feel compelled to lend their opinion to everything and anything these days. “I don’t hang out with a lot of people [my age],” she admits. “I just hang out with my family, my team, and a couple of close friends, so I don’t know if I can speak on the entirety of Gen-Z. I can only speak on my own personal experience being within Gen-Z and I think it’s awesome that people can speak up about what is important to them. We’re trying to navigate a world that is constantly changing. Social media’s constantly changing. I wish there was more grace for others and allowing room for others to grow,” she says, no doubt referring to ‘cancel culture’. “I do wish that my generation was better about that.”
As we wrap up and Sydney gets ready to head to set, she shows me the six books she’s been reading as she prepares for her new role. “I think my character would have read these as a kid,” she says. “She’s also from Germany, so I’m trying to teach myself German. I have Duolingo on my phone. I want to give everything that I do 110%.”
I joke that ‘Sydney Sweeney feels empowered to learn German’ is the headline the tabloids should run. “They won’t,” she says. “The headline is, ‘Sydney Sweeney feels empowered when she shows off her tits.’ But we could only hope,” she laughs. “We could only hope.”
Anyone But You is released in UK cinemas nationwide on December 26th.
Jessica Radloff is the GLAMOUR US Senior West Coast Editor and author of The New York Times best-selling book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story Of The Epic Hit Series.
Photographer: Jeremy Choh at See Management
Stylist: Carolina Orrico
Fashion Assistant: Luis Cruz
Prop Stylist: Maya Sassoon
Makeup Artist: Melissa Hernandez at The Wall Group
Hair Stylist: Glen Oropeza at PRTNRS
Manicurist: Zola at The Wall Group
1st Photography Assistant: Chir Yan Lim
2nd Photography Assistant: Ferid Hasbun
Digital Tech: Dante Velasquez Jr.
Prop Assistant: Chris Rivas
Videographer: Tom Campbell
Executive Producer: Tara Trullinger at Get It Productions
Producer: Dev Davey at Get It Productions
Production Coordinator: Blanca Ballesté
Production Assistant: Gio Trujillo
