Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Bernice Sweeney, born on September 12, 1997, is an American actress who first gained attention in 2018 for her roles in the television series Everything Sucks!, The Handmaid’s Tale, and the limited series Sharp Objects. In 2019, she appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. 

Sydney Sweeney
Sweeney at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Sydney Bernice Sweeney September 12, 1997 (age 27)   Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2009–present
Partner(s)	Jonathan Davino (2018–present; engaged)

Her breakthrough came with HBO’s drama series Euphoria (2019–present) and the first season of the anthology series The White Lotus (2021), earning her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 2023, she portrayed Reality Winner in the drama film Reality and starred in the commercially successful romantic comedy Anyone but You. In 2024, she played a lead role in the superhero film Madame Web and both produced and starred in the horror film Immaculate. Born in Spokane, Washington, Sweeney is the daughter of Lisa, a former criminal defense lawyer, and Steven Sweeney, a hospitality professional. She has one brother and was raised in north Idaho’s Panhandle region near the Washington border, where her family has lived for five generations. Coming from a religious family, she attended Saint George’s School in Spokane, actively participating in multiple sports, including soccer, baseball, and wakeboarding. A childhood wakeboarding accident left her with a permanent scar near her eye.

Her interest in acting began after auditioning for a small role in an independent film in Spokane. To persuade her parents, she created a five-year business plan outlining her goals. She started booking commercial roles in Seattle and Portland before moving to Los Angeles at 13. Sweeney was involved in a robotics team and a mathematics club during middle school. She graduated as valedictorian from Brighton Hall School in Burbank, California. In 2016, she briefly worked at Universal Studios Hollywood before leaving for an acting role and later attended the University of California, Los Angeles, for a short period.

Career

Early Work (2009–2019)

Sydney Sweeney began her career with guest appearances on television shows such as 90210, Criminal Minds, Grey's Anatomy, and Pretty Little Liars. In 2018, she starred as Emaline Addario in the Netflix series Everything Sucks!, which followed two groups of high school students in Oregon during the 1990s. That same year, she had a recurring role in HBO’s miniseries Sharp Objects, portraying Alice, a psychiatric facility patient and roommate to Amy Adams' character. Initially cast in a smaller role, she was given more scenes by the director. To prepare for the character, she researched cases of young women with mental health struggles and visited hospitals where patients had a history of self-harm. Sweeney filmed Everything Sucks! on weekdays and Sharp Objects on weekends. In 2018, she also had a role in the film Under the Silver Lake and played Eden Spencer, a devout young girl in the dystopian series The Handmaid’s Tale. Additionally, she starred as the lead in the horror film Along Came the Devil. The following year, she appeared in the drama Clementine, the coming-of-age film Big Time Adolescence, and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Breakthrough (2019–Present)

In June 2019, Sweeney began playing Cassie Howard in the HBO drama Euphoria. The series became one of HBO’s most-watched shows, and her performance earned widespread acclaim, leading to a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2022. Variety praised her versatility across projects like The Handmaid’s Tale, Everything Sucks!, and Sharp Objects. Her numerous nude scenes in Euphoria generated discussions about nudity and the male gaze in film, but Sweeney has defended her choices, stating she does not intend to stop doing nude scenes. In 2020, she launched her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films. That same year, she starred in the TV film Nocturne and appeared as Persephone in a live-action advertisement for the Webtoon comic Lore Olympus. In 2021, she played a college sophomore in the first season of Mike White’s HBO anthology series The White Lotus, a role that earned her another Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series. Due to her growing success, she was named to Time magazine’s 100 Next list in 2022.

In 2023, Sweeney became a brand ambassador for Armani Beauty and Laneige. She starred as U.S. Air Force veteran Reality Winner in Reality, a thriller drama directed by Tina Satter, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. Critics praised the film’s tension and lauded Sweeney’s performance, with IndieWire calling her “the real deal.” She also appeared in the crime thriller Americana, which debuted at the South by Southwest Festival. That same year, Sweeney was featured in the music video for The Rolling Stones' single Angry, from their album Hackney Diamonds. Amid criticism that the video objectified her, she defended it, describing it as a form of empowerment. She was also recognized in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for 2023 in the celebrity category. In December, she starred alongside Glen Powell in the romantic comedy Anyone but You, which became a surprise commercial success. Sweeney served as an executive producer on the film and played a key role in hiring Powell and director Will Gluck while contributing to the script.

In 2024, she played a supporting role in Madame Web, a Sony Spider-Man Universe film. Released in February, the film received poor reviews and performed poorly at the box office. Speaking on the film’s failure, Sweeney commented that she was simply hired as an actress and was along for the ride. In March, she hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live before starring in and producing the psychological horror film Immaculate, a project she had initially auditioned for in 2014. Years later, she acquired the rights to the script and brought in frequent collaborator Michael Mohan as director. She has spoken about producing as a way to create opportunities for herself. Later in 2024, she co-starred in Eden, directed by Ron Howard. Critics praised her performance, with TheWrap highlighting how she brought depth and agency to the film. Looking ahead, Sweeney will star alongside Julianne Moore in Echo Valley. She is also set to produce and star in a biopic about boxer Christy Martin and will reprise her role as Cassie Howard in Euphoria's third season.

Personal Life

As of 2023, Sweeney is engaged to businessman Jonathan Davino. The couple collaborates on film projects, including Anyone but You, and Sweeney considers Davino her producing partner. She has stated that she speaks Russian and Spanish. She claims to have taught herself Russian in high school, though she has refused to demonstrate it when asked. She also mentioned learning Spanish throughout her education, as her father resides in Mexico. An avid car enthusiast, Sweeney has restored a 1969 Ford Bronco and a 1965 Ford Mustang. She also collaborated with Ford to design a custom 2024 Mustang.

Sydney Sweeney’s Top 10 Movies 🎬✨

Sydney Sweeney’s Top 4 Awards 🏆✨

References

• Gisonna, & Nicholas. (2024, December 21). Sydney Sweeney | Euphoria, The White Lotus, & Biography. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sydney-Sweeney
• Home. (n.d.). https://www.berlinale.de/en/home.html
• Home | City of Los Angeles. (n.d.). https://lacity.gov/
• IMDb. (n.d.-a). Jonathan Davino. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11811442/
• IMDb. (n.d.-b). Ron Howard. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000165/
• Madame Web (2024) ⭐ 4.0 | Action, adventure, Sci-Fi. (2024, February 14). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11057302/
• Nominations. (n.d.). Television Academy. https://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/emmys/nominations
• Saint George’s School. (2025, January 22). Saint George's School : Spokane’s Independent Private School. https://sgs.org/