Over the past two years, we have experienced numerous natural phenomena, including earthquakes, storms and hurricanes. One of the most impactful events, however, has been the rise of 26-year-old Hollywood star and producer Sydney Sweeney.
She has dominated magazine covers, red carpets, ad campaigns, gossip columns and even opinion pieces, seemingly everywhere at once. After impressing audiences in the series Euphoria and The White Lotus, she appeared in films such as Anyone But You, a romantic comedy that achieved surprising box office success and sparked rumors of a romance with co-star Glen Powell, Marvel's Madame Web" and the psychological horror film Pure. Additionally, she starred in a Rolling Stones music video.
Reality trailer
(Video: Courtesy of nachshon Films)
In March, Sweeney’s appearance as a guest on Saturday Night Live caused a stir for two notable reasons. "Sydney Sweeney's breasts were in my face the other day," wrote Raanan Shaked in a Ynet opinion column.
"There was no way to avoid this frontal collision: it did what breasts do. It was both utterly amazing and entirely trivial. But there was something even more remarkable – a lot of people were talking about how they moved, how they looked, how envious they felt, what they would do, and what it did or didn't do for them."
Shaked added, "Sydney Sweeney broke through the hermetic barrier of political correctness that has been built over the years, allowing people to make comments and say things they hadn’t felt free to say in a long time. Could this be the breaking point of the major reaction against the MeToo era?"
Incidentally, in a 2023 interview with Glamour magazine, Sweeney revealed that at age 18, she considered breast reduction surgery and used to wear loose clothing. "[M]y mom told me, ‘Don’t do it. You’ll regret it in college.’ And I’m so glad I didn’t," she said. "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.”
Republicans also reveled in the widely discussed appearance. "Wokeness is dead," declared conservative political analyst Richard Hanania on the social network X (formerly Twitter). Following reactions to his statement, he felt compelled to clarify: “Sydney Sweeney everywhere shows you can give us all the fatness studies and body positivity you want, society will always revert to loving blondes with boobs. Like communism, you can suppress human nature, but they never win because it always comes back.”
Shortly after Sweeney's appearance on Saturday Night Live, Hollywood producer Carol Baum criticized her film Anyone But You as "unwatchable" and declared that Sweeney "is not beautiful, she can't act, so why is she so hot?"
Sweeney responded through a representative, calling Baum's comments "shameful." The statement read: "It is sad that a woman in a position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman."
Earlier this month, Sweeney again made headlines and sparked discussions with a series of sexy selfies on her Instagram account, which boasts 20 million followers. The provocative photos were captioned: "i don't [sic] do mirror selfies often but when i do they are chaotic."
Reactions were divided, with enthusiastic comments like "Chaos suits you," "That bandana won't stop me" and "More chaos please," while detractors criticized her for "oversexualization" and warned, "Don’t complain about being objectified later."
When I met and interviewed Sweeney at a luxurious hotel in Berlin's Potsdamer Platz, it was clear that she knows how to handle and navigate the noise and commotion around her. She comes across as an opinionated, savvy and intelligent young woman who speaks several languages (Spanish and Russian) and wisely steers her path.
When I asked about how she was coping with the fame and the great adoration she receives, she replied, "I'm just living my life," followed by a hearty laugh. "It's just unbelievable. I am so blown away by the reception and still taking it all in."
How do you deal with stereotypical attitudes toward you?
"I feel like, as a woman, we all go through that in our life, no matter what space we're in, we are underestimated. And so being able to prove people wrong, that's also our power."
'People get confused that a yoga teacher would also own an automatic weapon'
Sweeney hits Israeli cinemas with one of her best roles in the film Reality, which recounts a true story already depicted in two other movies. Sweeney plays Reality Winner (yes, that’s her real name) – a young Texan blonde, firearm enthusiast and Air Force intelligence unit alumna who worked as a translator for the National Security Agency (NSA).
In her role, Reality discovered a classified document detailing how Russian intelligence interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election—claims dismissed at the time by President Donald Trump and his team. Understanding the significance of the document, Reality decided to fulfill her civic duty by leaking it to the media, thus becoming a whistleblower who exposes systemic wrongdoings. She was caught, imprisoned under harsh conditions, and put on trial. After a public campaign supporting her, she was sentenced to 63 months in prison.
The case fascinated playwright Tina Satter, who wrote a play about it, which then became a film directed by her, with Sweeney cast in the lead role. "I chose Sydney primarily because she’s so talented," said Satter. "It was important to me that this character be portrayed with great integrity."
For her part, Sweeney admits that when Reality's story first broke in the news in 2017, she barely heard about it. “If you'd asked me who Reality Winner was, I wouldn't have known. But then in December 2017, free reading online, I came upon an article about her. I was reading this profile and I thought to myself this person's really fascinating. And then [the article] had a link to the transcript. So I'm still just free reading, and it was one of those artistic moments, as I'm reading that transcript, and this is a thriller. It just felt like a monologue. This document just came so alive to me as a theatrical piece, and I could see it as a film and a play.”
What else fascinated you about her story?
“I knew at that point this woman was in prison. I asked myself, ‘how does it go? How does it go?’ I was scrolling through this document. The way this girl in jean shorts is going to go head to head and able to speak the exact same lingo with FBI agents and actually keep them on their toes. I did find that super inspiring and I've never quite seen this before.
“I think she broke the law but I think that a democracy needs whistleblowers. So I actually have really complicated feelings toward it myself. I think it's made me think more about why we have certain laws and what are we supposed to do to keep a democracy moving with information. I think Reality is incredible and I really admire what she did. Having been through prison, she's really interested in prison reform, which is a huge conversation in the United States.”
What do you think about firearms being found in her home?
"It's also a culture thing. She's from Texas, she's living in Georgia and served in the Air Force. You can have potentially progressive political ideas like she has and own guns. It just shows how wild we all are. So right when she owns guns, she teaches yoga. It's like that. America is insane. People get really confused that a yoga teacher would also own an automatic weapon.”
Sweeney said she met with Winner multiple times for her role. Satter connected them, initially facilitating their communication through text messages, which later transitioned to Zoom calls.
Sweeney keeps the content of these conversations private, respecting their personal nature to Winner. She immersed herself in learning about Winner to faithfully portray her character, noting that she had a great sense of humor.
When asked about her involvement in political and social issues, Sweeney responded that everyone is involved to some extent. It’s important to mention that Sweeney and her family were wrongly suspected of supporting Trump due to a misinterpretation of photos from her mother's birthday party, a claim Sweeney promptly denied and clarified.
'I wanted to watch Israeli Euphoria, but couldn't find it'
Sweeney was born in Spokane, Washington, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Her mother is a lawyer, and her father works in the medical field. She grew up in northern Idaho and quickly found her way into acting.
At age 12, Sweeney learned about a small film production that came to her town. Inspired by presentations her father made for his job as a pharmaceutical sales representative, she created a business plan to convince her parents to let her audition. Sweeney later humorously referenced this presentation during her Saturday Night Live appearance.
Her parents were initially confused by her determination. Throughout her life, she had expressed a desire to be an actress, which they dismissed as a child's fantasy, akin to wanting to be a princess. After her presentation, they agreed to let her audition, thinking it would put an end to her interest in acting.
However, Sweeney landed the role of an extra in the film ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction. Convinced by her success, her parents began regularly driving her to auditions in Los Angeles, and the family eventually moved to the city when she was 13.
In high school, Sweeney had a keen interest in math and robotics, participated in ski, soccer and baseball teams, and trained in martial arts. She also experienced a wakeboarding accident in her childhood, resulting in 19 stitches and a permanent scar near her eye.
"To me, that’s like getting a bruise on your knee," she said. "I have a scar here, you can see it, I got 19 stitches, I jumped the wake and when I landed, the tip of my board caught the water and it flipped me the wrong way, and my face was sliced with the board. I had to get stitches. That was it. – I thought you meant a life-changing injury, but that was just being a kid and having fun."
Early in her career, Sweeney made brief appearances in popular TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds and Pretty Little Liars. She pursued a business degree to understand the legal aspects of contracts, but she did not complete it due to her acting commitments. One professor did not allow her to take the final exam because she missed his classes while filming The Handmaid's Tale, where she played a devout girl engaged to a commander portrayed by Max Minghella.
She later starred in Sharp Objects and portrayed a Manson Family follower in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, humorously noting her surprise to learn he lived in Tel Aviv and expressing a desire to visit.
Sweeney's breakout role came with Euphoria, a series based on an Israeli show of the same name that delves into the tumultuous lives of teenagers, exploring themes of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. In the series, Sweeney portrays Cassie Howard, a high school student who falls in love easily and is haunted by her sexual past. In the second season, it is revealed that her character is Jewish on her mother's side.
Asked if she had seen the original Israeli series, Sweeney admitted she had not, despite her interest. "I really wanted to watch the Israeli Euphoria, but I couldn't find it," she said.
Contrary to the wild and carefree lives of Euphoria characters, Sweeney says was an exemplary student in high school, never attending parties or using drugs.
Reflecting on her personal life, Sweeney revealed that her parents' divorce led her into some terrible and sometimes dangerous relationships. She typically keeps this private but shared that she is now in a very healthy and stable relationship. Reports indicate that Sweeney is engaged to Jonathan Davino, a man in his late thirties whose family runs a device technology and packaging company.
Sweeney is also an entrepreneur, having founded the production company Fifty-Fifty Films. "I thrive in an environment where I am learning and can learn from others. I truly believe that movies and TV shows are collaborative creative projects, so for me, the essence is being able to participate in the creative discussion behind the camera," she explained.
Together with Davino, Sweeney produced Immaculate, set in an Italian convent, in which she stars as a nun. Although she did not grow up in a religious environment, her grandmother attended a very religious school where her teachers were strict nuns. Sweeney took her grandmother to the shoot in Italy, her first trip outside the United States, arranging for her to be an extra and dress up as a nun. Her grandmother joked, "I'm going to call myself Sister Rebecca because that’s the nun I hated the most in school." Sweeney described the experience with her grandmother as a lot of fun.
Producing Immaculate with her partner, Sweeney acknowledges the potential risks of working together but emphasizes the importance of collaborating with supportive individuals.
"It’s really important to work together with people that listen to you and support you and want to make sure that your voice and opinion is heard. So I love surrounding myself with friends and people that I love working with. I like to be able to surround myself with people you know you like to work with and spend time with. When you are on set for 10-12 hours a day when the crew call wraps. You are with this group of people months beforehand, prepping, location scouting and then you are working together night, day, morning, you don’t sleep working on shotlisting and rewriting scenes and changing everything and figuring out the elements, and then promoting."
Despite her busy schedule, Sweeney values her limited free time, which she spends at her lavish home in Florida, purchased for $13.5 million. "I am a homebody. I just keep doing me. Cooking at home, hanging out with my dog, having my friends and family over. I have always wanted kids. I love a big family. I am not afraid. Motherhood is the most powerful strength that you can have."
Sweeney also enjoys reading books. While filming Ron Howard's movie Eden in Australia, set in the Galapagos Islands and scheduled for release this year, she prepared by reading several of Charles Darwin's books. "That was quite intensive. His book is 800-something pages, and I took it around everywhere because you learn a lot about life and theories."
When stepping out, Sweeney enjoys making a statement. At the recent Met Gala in New York, she donned a black wig, black gloves and a floral Miu Miu dress. "It’s fun to express yourself in different ways. I look at fashion as a way of finding different versions of yourself and bringing out different personalities, and I am having fun with it. It’s cool to try new things and wear things that you can imagine it’s cool."
One of Sweeney's upcoming projects is a biographical film about professional boxer Christy Martin, who shattered glass ceilings and broke noses from 1989 to 2012. This role will require Sweeney to train extensively, fight in the ring and take hits.
"I trained in kickboxing from ages 12 to 19, and I'm eager to get back in the ring, train, and transform my body," Sweeney recently stated. "Christy's story is physically and emotionally demanding, but I love challenging myself. Christy Martin not only legitimized women's boxing, but she also overcame gender stereotypes. I feel a responsibility to tell the story of a woman who faced so many adversities and didn't let them defeat her. It's going to be powerful and emotional."
Sweeney seems fearless and ready to try anything, but she admits to having one fear. "I have a fear of needles, and I have no idea where it came from. I've suffered from this fear since I was a child. I just scream. It's a real phobia, and I don't know how to solve it."