Fanatics were heartbroken to learn the HBO drama “Euphoria” was ending this summer with its final season.
For three seasons, Zendaya played Rue Bennett, a teenage recovering drug addict on the show.
A high school acquaintance, Cassie Howard, was played by actress Sydney Sweeney.
Sydney Sweeney’s character starts off as a provocative young woman who eventually turns to creating paid content after graduation.
Not your typical storyline. But it gets people talking, as viewers are discussing more than just Rue’s tragic ending and Cassie’s downfall.
Seasons 1 and 2 of “Euphoria” were both set in high school. For season three, they navigate the struggles of being an adult with no rules.
Sweeney filmed more intimate scenes than she previously performed, including one particularly graphic costume scene that crossed the line.
The “Housemaid” star received some backlash over the nearly adult-film scene.
But there’s some racy footage that didn’t make it to the screen, though Sweeney wishes it had made the cut.
The 28-year-old was criticized for her X-rated scenes on the show, with fans on social media claiming she had gone too far.
‘No Way’: How Sammy Davis Jr. Became the Center of Kim Novak’s War Over Sydney Sweeney
Many speculated that Sweeney had no issue pushing boundaries on screen.
Others suggest she was more comfortable with revealing roles than she let on, given her experience performing graphic scenes.
The “Christy” actress seemed to prove her fans correct with a recent Vanity Fair interview.
She said she was disappointed that footage of her stripping at a strip club was cut from “Euphoria.”
Sweeney explained the scene, noting that Cassie went to a strip club and got drunk before getting up on stage and pole-dancing.
The show’s director, Sam Levinson, reportedly suggested releasing the cut footage, much to Sweeney’s delight.
“I did lessons for pole dancing, and it was so much fun,” Sweeney revealed. “I definitely was disappointed. But he was like, ‘Maybe we should release it as like behind-the-scenes footage or deleted scenes.’ I was like, ‘Please do, because I put a lot of hard work into that.'”
Sydney Sweeney Goes Fully Topless in Wild 'Euphoria' Scene https://t.co/8HBmXZ9itC
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 25, 2026
Sweeney added that she will miss playing Cassie while noting that the “challenging” character helped her grow as an actor.
“She’s such a challenging role and she stretches me as an actor,” she added. “And I love being able to be challenged and to go to places that other characters may not go to… she’s so fun to play.”
Sydney Sweeney talks about the criticism of Cassie in "Euphoria":
— Pop Dolls (@ThePopDolls) June 10, 2026
"I hope that in a few years, when people are separated from the madness and clickbait of social media, someone who sits down and watches everything, doing a deep analysis, says: 'Wow, maybe we all got this very… pic.twitter.com/gpDpr2yNVc
Reactions to Sweeney’s admission had the internet undefeated as folks roasted the actress for her comments. “So she learned pole dancing for nothing,” laughed one user.
“Makes sense cause we saw shots of her on stage with money raining on her,” added a second person.
A third individual noted the amount of provocative and racy scenes Sweeney performed in the show’s third season.
“S3 was basically an OF series of nothing but Sydney doing sexual stuff for the producers,” they wrote.
Other users noted the adult content of “Euphoria,” and the comments were not polite.
One user wrote, “Would’ve been a great parallel to season 1 where Cassie is on the carousel and is high.” Another joked, “so she learned pole dancing for nothing.”
Looks like Cassie is hitting that pole at the Alamo's in the Euphoria season finale pic.twitter.com/DdKeRDGmGj
— Complex Style (@ComplexStyle) May 31, 2026
A final user called foul on Sweeney’s comments, writing, “This sounds like a bunch of bull s—t to me but ok girl.”
Sweeney ruffled feathers when she appeared in an ad for American Eagle.
The blue-eyed blonde was wearing blue jeans in the promo with the text, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” instead of “jeans.”
The promo came amid news that her mother had a MAGA-themed birthday party.
The actress has claimed not to be political, but records indicate she voted Republican, prompting many to suggest she is a Trump supporter.
