‘Euphoria’: Sydney Sweeney Thinks Cassie Feels ‘Strength and Sadness’ When She’s Naked
One thing that Euphoria is never short on is nudity. For better or worse, the show is constantly showing different parts of the human form. But there is one character who is typically shown half naked more than most. That character is, of course, Cassie Howard, whose arc and storyline are often centered around her body and sexuality. And while Cassie deals with her fair share of slut-shaming and coercion, Sydney Sweeney (who portrays the character) has also spoken about the power Cassie wields with her body.
Cassie Howard’s arc in ‘Euphoria’ Season 1 centered around her being hypersexualized
From the very first episode of Euphoria, it’s made obvious how Cassie’s naked body has been weaponized against her. The show makes it clear that nude photos of the teen have either been taken without her consent or coerced from her by past lovers. And when Cassie’s relationships end, the photos are shared causing her to have a certain “reputation.” In Euphoria Season 1, viewers see how Cassie’s boyfriend McKay often holds her past relationships and experiences against her.
Sydney Sweeney gets candid about the conflicting feelings Cassie has when she’s naked
Of course, in the sophomore season of Euphoria, fans meet a new version of Cassie. In her relationship with Nate, Cassie seems to find a bit more power within her body and her sexuality. In an interview with The New York Times, Sweeney spoke of the distinct duality that accompanies the hypersexualization of her character.
“There’s a double side because I also think there’s strength behind how she feels when she is naked or she’s showing her body,” Sweeney explained about Cassie. “She communicates that way and there’s a beauty, there’s a strength and there’s a sadness with all of it. I hope people can see that.”
The ‘Euphoria’ star feels Cassie communicates by using her body
Sweeney also shared that Cassie comes to rely on using her body and being naked in order to connect with people. It’s become so normalized for her character, that she doesn’t necessarily know how to deal without wielding her sexuality. “Does she want to put herself out there all the time?” the Euphoria star began. “No. She does it because that’s what she thinks other people want from her, and that’s the only way that she’s going to be able to get what she wants from people.”
Certainly, Sweeney has thought a lot about her character and how Cassie is hypersexualized. It will certainly be interesting to see if and how that plays into Cassie’s storyline in Euphoria Season 3. Considering there have been rumors of a potential time jump, we imagine that the sexualization of Casise may shift again if she’s no longer in high school. Sweeney admits that she’d love to explore some of the manipulation that Cassie found through her relationship with Nate. Other than that, the actor seems content to be surprised by whatever Sam Levinson (Euphoria’s creator and sole writer) dreams up for her.
