Sydney Sweeney, the actress praised by Trump: ‘Women are up against what society wants them to be’

It sounds like a cliché, but it’s true: U.S. actress Sydney Sweeney excels in close quarters. In longer formats, like press conferences where she is surrounded by journalists asking about her life, career, workouts, and style choices, she seems to struggle to get more than two sentences out. It’s as if she fears that any word could be misinterpreted, leaked, and go viral. And she knows a thing or two about that. But in a toast or a selfie, Sweeney — the 28-year-old actress from Spokane, Washington — laughs, chats, and smiles freely.

Over the past five years, Sweeney has become one of the most recognized names and faces on both the small and big screen, as well as on social media. This summer, she starred in a jeans campaign that sparked controversy: did the ad say Sweeney has “good jeans” or “good genes”? Virality, sexism, supremacism, liberalism, conservatism… everything mixed into the cocktail that put Sweeney at the center of debate. But she has long been in the spotlight for her roles and her striking red carpet appearances. “I just wear what I’m comfortable in and what makes me feel confident,” she replies quickly when asked how she chooses her looks.

Sweeney tries to keep controversies at a distance and focus on her work. This year, she released the films Eden (directed by Ron Howard, starring Jude Law and Ana de Armas), Echo Valley (with Julianne Moore), The Housemaid (a suspense thriller based on Frieda McFadden’s bestselling novel and co-starring Amanda Seyfried), and the biopic Christy, her most intense and carefully crafted project. Additionally, next year, she will return as Cassie for the eagerly awaited third season of Euphoria, the series that launched her to fame, returning to HBO with eight new episodes.

Meanwhile, in just a few months, she has gained and lost 35 pounds, returning to the ring to portray Christy Martin, the 57-year-old boxer she plays in the film. “She’s a real person, so the most important thing was that the story felt true and was respectful. Everything you see in the film happened to Christy in real life. We had to think things through carefully and put a lot of love into everything,” she says.

Building a story around a real-life figure she admires has helped Sweeney try to shake off the controversies that follow her. A few months ago, she told Vanity Fair that it was “disheartening to see women tear other women down,” and added that, although people in Hollywood say that women are “empowering other women,” she didn’t feel that way. “All of it is fake and a front for all the other shit that they say behind everyone’s back,” she said in comments that caused a stir. In person, she clarifies: “Women are up against what society wants them to be.”

The actress has become something of an anti-woke figure, pushing back against political correctness. A few months ago, it emerged that she was apparently registered as a Republican in Florida, and U.S. President Donald Trump was quick to praise her. This once again put her in the spotlight.

Her new romantic relationship with Scooter Braun — whom she met at Jeff Bezos’s wedding in Venice — has only intensified scrutiny of her delicate position in an industry that prides itself on political correctness. Braun discovered (and later fell out with) Justin Bieber, formerly managed Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande, and famously acquired the rights to Taylor Swift’s early albums without giving her a chance to buy them, making him a sworn enemy of the Swiftie cause.

But Sweeney continues on her own path. Talking with EL PAÍS, she mixes her personal and professional life, while keeping boundaries. She grew up in Washington state practicing kickboxing and grappling, a type of contact wrestling, from age 12 to 19. “I competed in tournaments, I won championships,” she recalls. “The film allowed me to reconnect with that part of my childhood. I came to life. It was awesome,” she says.

To prepare, she went to Idaho, where she has a home near her grandmother’s, and turned garages and sheds into gyms. “I would wake up, do an hour of weight training, eat a lot of food, drink protein shakes like no other, and then go skiing with my uncle. I would come back and box for three hours with my coach, Max, and we would watch footage of Christy and fight footage, hang with my family, and another hour of training at night.” Simple, intense, demanding — and effective.

“The best thing about being an actor is that you don’t have to do the same thing over and over again. I can fall in love with different genres and characters and look for new challenges,” says Sweeney. That’s why she’s also getting into producing, and who knows, maybe directing soon. “I don’t think you can grow or learn unless you challenge yourself,” she explains, sitting in her Hollywood home. Her house once belonged to director Delmer Daves. “They left all their things, so I have tons of signed photos of Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, and I have scripts, and the whole house is overflowing with his work. It’s very old and beautiful, but the outlets don’t always work, the electricity is unreliable, and my internet drops every five minutes,” she explains.

In addition to Euphoria, Sweeney has four other projects in development for 2026; all signs point to her appearing in the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, and she’s also set to play Kim Novak in Scandalous!, the directorial debut of actor Colman Domingo. How does she maintain balance with such an intense schedule? “I love being an actress, and I realize I work much better under pressure,” she says.

Twice Emmy-nominated, for Euphoria and the first season of The White Lotus, she didn’t win the award, but when asked if she ever gives up, she responds firmly: “I’m still here.” “I still have a bunch of projects that I’m going to make and different avenues. I might try new things.”

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