Many parents are supportive of their children’s pursuits, yet there are boundaries that some family members aren’t willing to cross.
For those familiar with Euphoria, it’s well-known that the show features a significant amount of drug use and sexual content, making it an awkward choice to view with parents.
But what happens when your child is one of the actors in the show?
This was a predicament faced by Sydney Sweeney’s family, given her involvement in several explicit scenes in the popular HBO series.
Although Sweeney has built an impressive acting career, her role in Euphoria required her to strive harder for different types of roles.
She shared with Variety: “It’s the ones I have to fight for that usually are the ones that I want that are different, like Reality. I had to audition for it. I had to put myself on tape and send in my audition just like everybody else.”
She further explained: “It was the same for White Lotus. They didn’t think that I was right for White Lotus, because I did Euphoria. So I put myself on tape, I auditioned for White Lotus just like everybody else and had a call back like everybody else.”
“I could get offered roles that are similar to the ones that I’ve played, but the ones that are different, the ones that surprise people that I do, are the ones that I usually have to fight for.”
Despite her efforts to convince TV executives of her versatility beyond her HBO role, some of her family members couldn’t bring themselves to watch Euphoria.
On Sunday Today With Willie Geist, Sweeney revealed that her family was somewhat taken aback by her provocative role.
She also mentioned that her dad chose not to visit the Euphoria set, unlike her mom who was more informed.
“My mom visited me on set at the time, so she knew the story and I talked to her a lot about it — my dad didn’t,” she explained, “Yeah, I didn’t prepare my dad. At all.”
Due to this lack of preparation, her father ended up watching the explicit drama with other relatives, not knowing what to expect.
“I mean, how do you bring it up in conversation? And also, when I talk to my dad, it’s usually not about work. We talk, like, father-daughter conversations. He decided he was going to watch it, without telling me, with his parents.”
Unsurprisingly, some reactions were less than favorable.
“My dad and my grandpa turned it off and walked out,” she disclosed, “But my grandma is a big supporter of mine. She’s a big fan of mine. Actually I bring her, usually, all over the world to my different sets and I make her an extra.”
You can’t please everyone, Sydney!