Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney mocks critics and marks finale with almost completely nude photo
Sydney Sweeney has defended her controversial role in the final season of Euphoria after positing a series of racy behind-the-scenes snaps.
The 28-year-old rose to fame in 2019 when she was cast as Cassie Howard in the hit HBO series, which aired its finale last night (May 31).
Despite going on to make a stellar career for herself since, Sweeney has received a lot of criticism for the portrayal of Cassie in the third and final season of Euphoria, with many describing her scenes as 'degrading', suggesting it has simply 'gone too far'.
Each week, fans were left in shock with Cassie's explicit OnlyFans scenes, which she took on to pay for her expensive wedding to fiancé Nate, played by Jacob Elordi.
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But it seems Sweeney had no problem with the X-rated content at all.
To sign off from her role of Cassie, Sweeney took to Instagram with a series of barely-there snaps from behind-the-scenes of season three.
She captioned the post: "It's called...acting."
One image saw a BTS moment from the infamous dog scene, while another risqué image featured her with the snake that ultimately killed her husband, Nate.
Fans have loved Sweeney's jab at the critics, as one wrote: "Acted so good people are HATING."
"The best actor of this season," another added.
And despite the hate she has received, there's at least one person firmly in her corner - boyfriend Scooter Braun.
During an appearance on Suzy Weiss’ Second Thought podcast, the former talent manager shared rare details about their relationship and even admitted he’s become a huge fan of her work on-screen.
"I’ve met an extraordinary woman, kind and generous and smart, and real and down to earth," he said.
When asked whether he’s tuning into the hit HBO drama, Braun: "I am catching it. I’m biased, I like it. I think there’s been an incredible performance by a certain actress."
Despite dating in 2025, Sweeney seemingly hard-launched the relationship herself earlier last month, after posting a series of loved-up photos from Stagecoach Festival in California.
Creator of the show, Sam Levinson, has also defended Sweeney and her portrayal of Cassie.
As the backlash continued throughout the season, he spoke about Sweeney at a Q&A for The Hollywood Reporter’s Directors In Focus event, calling her 'brilliant'.
'What’s interesting is if you push it a little bit, she becomes brilliant,' he said.
The creator added: "You just do a few more takes, and she can reach these levels that are very honest emotionally, but also deeply funny.
“She’s able to anchor the scene with this kind of madness and chaos going on around her."
Euphoria season three is available on HBO Max now.
Topics: Sydney Sweeney, Euphoria, Film and TV, Celebrity
Mia Williams