Sydney Sweeney broke into the acting mainstream with her roles on TV shows like "Euphoria" and "The White Lotus." Now the actor is a mainstay following the success of her parts in movies like "Anyone But You," "Madame Web" and her upcoming horror film, "Immaculate."
Sweeney's fame hasn't come without some hindrances. The actor said on TODAY during an interview with TODAY's Craig Melvin and Laura Jarrett March 20 she's still learning how to deal with the level of criticism she faces, particularly with some people objectifying her body.
"I kind of just have to take (it) day by day and just keep being myself," she said.
When Laura asked if she thought it was "an unfair amount of scrutiny," Sweeney replied: "I think that it’s just — of course it’s not natural. I’m just trying to figure out how to deal with all of it."
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Sweeney, 26, told Variety earlier this month that she does see the way people write and talk about her body and that she doesn't allow herself to have a reaction to it.
"People feel connected and free to be able to speak about me in whatever way they want, because they believe that I’ve signed my life away," she said. "That I’m not on a human level anymore, because I’m an actor."
Sweeney said she's grateful for the opportunities she's had to play characters in all different genres as an actor.
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"They all kind of challenge me in different ways," she said on TODAY of her characters. "That's what's so fun about acting — being able to play and be so many different people."
Sweeney stars as a nun in "Immaculate," which premieres March 22, and she shared that the final scene was shot in just one take, and it was the first take the team filmed.
"I don't like to plan things out, and I love being able to feel things organically," she said. "For my character Cecilia, she was going through so much anger, pain, freedom, fear."
"We were just blocking the cameras, and our director, Michael Mohan, was like, 'Do you want to rehearse it?' and I was like, 'Let's just see what happens,'" she recalled. "And then that's what happened."
Sweeney also shared that she was able to include some special extras in the film — her grandmothers.
"I flew them to Italy," she said. "And they got to come visit me on set. I made them extras, as nuns, and then I brought them to the premiere in LA and they were just so excited."
As for what's next for Sweeney? She said there's still a lot left.
"There's so much out there. Fantasy, sci-fi, all of it," she said with a smile.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
