I first met Sydney Sweeney, appropriately, in church. I say appropriately because her new film, Immaculate, centers around a nun (played by Sweeney) joining a remote convent in the Italian countryside. Our link-up was less Italian countryside and more an empty church, the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles, in Koreatown. We were on break from shooting a cover story for The Cut in January 2022. Sweeney and I were looking for a quiet place to conduct the interview and in roaming around the building found ourselves, without warning, at the alter. So we sat and rather than pray, we dove in on her experiences shooting The White Lotus and Euphoria.
It’s a sign of Sweeney’s meteoric rise that those two credits (both of which she received Emmy nominations for) aren’t even top of mind when we link up again two years later. In the last three months, Sweeney has headlined three wildly divergent films and, in doing so, solidified her bonafide movie star status. In December there was Anyone But You, a rom-com that Sweeney executive produced that has since become a global box office juggernaut and marketing bellwether. Then there was Madame Web, a savvy “strategic business decision” that helped her land her next starring role in the upcoming Barbarella reboot. And now there’s Immaculate, Sweeney’s first foray into the horror genre that sees her reuniting with The White Lotus producer Dave Bernad.
There’s something quietly remarkable about Sweeney’s business acumen. All three of her recent roles showcase not only her acting, but an understanding of the mechanics of the industry and an eye for the bigger picture. She’s reading scripts. She’s going location scouting. She’s leaving casting notes. All this to say, Sweeney is not the kind of producer merely looking for the credit to add to her resume. And her recent successes, both monetary and zeitgeist-clinching, show that her instincts are worth watering.
Below, a chat with one of Hollywood’s most in-demand talents.
I want to start by asking about what I would call a serve spree that you’ve been on. WWD wrote that you were channeling the coquette aesthetic at the SXSW premiere, whatever that means, while People Magazine wrote that you went goth at the LA premiere, and then we had Yahoo calling your Miu Miu gown at the GLAAD Awards “Cinderella-Core”. Talk to me about the style switch-up we’ve seen from you, especially coming off of the press tours for Anyone But You and Madame Web.
I love a good theme! I'm always down for a fun and bold choice. That’s what's so great about fashion: You get to be and dress up as anything you want and there are no rules to it.
As I just mentioned, you had Anyone But You in December, then Madame Web last month and now Immaculate. And I want to note that you were an Executive Producer on Anyone But You (which recently crossed the $200 million box office mark — congratulations!) and your role as a producer on Immaculate. When you and I first met in 2022, you expressed a desire to start producing and now that’s become a reality and one thing our mutual friend Dave Bernad, who worked with you both on The White Lotus and Immaculate, told me is that a lot of actors like to say they are producers, but in your case, you really do the work. He said you were on every scouting trip and offered up casting notes and really showed a commitment to the role of producer. Where does that desire come from?
I've always loved to be a part of everything and be able to make creative decisions as part of a bigger process than just playing the character. I was so creatively fulfilled! I also love the business side. I think it's so fascinating. It’s this fast game; it's like a Tetris puzzle piece that you have to fit in the right places. It's just chaos and I thrive in chaos! My mom definitely instilled the business side in me. School was always number one in my life. I loved learning, I loved education. If I had time, I'd randomly probably try to go to law school just because I'd like to see if I could succeed at that. So I loved being able to be a part of the business side and learning about financing and budgeting and permits and everything that goes into being able to have Day One on a call sheet.
Before we get to Immaculate, a few of your friends, co-stars and fans wanted me to ask you a few questions. First up is your Euphoria co-star and dear friend Maude Apatow: “Was there a performance or movie or TV show that you saw as a kid that inspired you to become an actor?”
Ugh! I love her so much. I want to point out that I was not an avid movie or TV watcher. I was building tree houses outside. I was playing tons of sports. My parents did not want my brother and I sitting in front of a TV or playing video games. The movies that I did watch, I always fell in love with, and those would be Titanic and Phantom of the Opera. I just loved these big, world-building set pieces that felt grand and beautiful but heartbreaking at the same time. They piqued me creatively, but in the end, it was truly just my imagination. Imagining being different people, playing outside and building all these imaginary worlds and having my friends pretend and cast them in different roles.
Our next question comes from two figures that I've been told you are huge fans of and they were super eager to record this question for you: “It’s Drew and Jonathan Scott, your favorite Property Brothers here! We have an important question for you: Have you ever had a really creepy experience that led you to believe that the house you were in was haunted?”
No way you got them on here! I’m freaking out! But yes, actually. The house I'm currently living in — I found out that the man of the house died here and I did not know that going into it and there are some times where I feel like something walks through the doorway. I feel like I'm still living in his house and I'm like, “I respect your house, I respect your things, I'm sorry I just hit the wall accidentally.”
Smart move! Last but not least, we have one of your co-stars from The White Lotus: “Hi Sydney! It's Molly Shannon. I have a couple of questions: First, what did you have for breakfast this morning? I want to know what Sydney Sweeney eats for breakfast. Also, you’re such a savvy businesswoman. Do you have a mentor who helped you develop that side of you?”
The breakfast one is hilarious! I had bacon, berries, a delicious butter croissant, and an oatmeal raisin cookie. And for the second, on the business side, I have to thank my mom because she instilled that in me from a very young age. I remember when I was 12 or 13 years-old, it was the first year that we ever came down to LA for pilot season. We were at an audition for a role on some network TV show. I did not get it, but when we were leaving, there was a sign for a networking group where every month, this group of people would get together and they would sit in a giant room around tables and they would go one by one and do an elevator pitch about themselves. It was a great way to work on pitching yourself and grow your network and see if there were other people that you could collaborate with. My mom saw this sign when we were supposed to go to the car to leave this audition and she goes, “Let's go check this out,” and I'm 12 and I’m like, “Mom! We’re gonna get in trouble! This is so embarrassing. We cannot do this!” She knew that I had stage fright and I needed to overcome it, so we walk in this place and it’s just all 30-plus-year-old men in suits and my mom walks up to whoever looked like they were in charge and was like, “I really want my daughter to join.” They looked confused but they said, “Sure, why not?” so I randomly found myself sitting at this table and then I had to stand up and do an elevator pitch about myself. I did that for like three years and I have to thank my mom because I learned so much from that experience.
Let’s talk about Immaculate. I want to start with your scream. My friend Christopher is the ultimate horror film aficionado and he texted me after seeing the film and wrote, “Sydney Sweeney has a terrific, all-timer extended scream in extreme close-up toward the end that seems like it should have hospitalized her.” First of all, I want to ask: Do you have an ultimate scream queen? Mine, which should come as no surprise, is SMG.
Maybe Drew Barrymore or Jamie Lee Curtis?
Both correct answers! And you’ve also made your own scream print known on Euphoria. I do wonder who would win a scream-off: Euphoria’s Cassie or Immaculate’s Cecilia? I’m going with Cecilia, personally.
Cecilia’s screams are very guttural. Cassie's is very desperate. They’re different pitches. Cassie is probably breaking some mirrors and Cecilia is probably going to get locked up afterwards.
Are you the kind of actor that gets scared making a horror film or do you sort of separate yourself from it?
It's definitely not as scary making it. It's quite fun, actually. I definitely was scared when we were in the catacombs because we were actually in real catacombs and that was a bit terrifying.
I'm always longing for horror movies with more depth and Immaculate seems to deliver on that. What are some of your favorite horror films?
Rosemary’s Baby was definitely our biggest inspiration for Immaculate, and some of my other favorites are The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street, all of John Carpenter’s OG films, like Halloween. And Jordan Peele's Us! I was so obsessed with it. Lupita is unbelievable in it.
From White Lotus to Euphoria to the crime drama Reality to Anyone But You and now Immaculate, you’ve crafted an exciting career in its lack of predictability. What draws you to your projects?
I just want to do something new and different every time. I think that's what's so fun and fascinating about being an actor. I don't want to be doing the same thing over and over. I want to find things that surprise me and surprise the audience and test me. Whether it sticks or not, there is no right or wrong in art. It’s so interesting how everything works out. While I was filming Madame Web, I was actually pitching both Immaculate and Anyone But You. I brought on Will Gluck and Glen Powell. I started pitching it to different buyers and got into negotiations with Sony and SK Global. When I finished with Madame Web, I went into prep on Immaculate. I started location scouting, doing all the pre-production work and casting. And while I was filming Immaculate, I was doing pre-production on Anyone But You. Then, the week after we wrapped Immaculate, I went to Australia to start filming Anyone But You.
Wow! You gave a recent interview with Vogue where you mentioned your love of ice cream, which I saw someone online quote tweet and say, “I cannot emphasize enough how badly we need a stoner comedy with Sydney Sweeney and Ayo Edebiri.” I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, but I just want you to consider!
A movie where I just get to eat ice cream and snack the entire way through? I mean, that could be fun!
In the vein of Molly Shannon’s “What does Sydney Sweeney have for breakfast?”, if Sydney Sweeney could add anyone to Mount Rushmore, who would it be and why?
Jennifer Coolidge all the way. Like, all of the men's faces and then Jennifer Coolidge!
You have a film coming out later this year, Echo Valley, that will see you teaming up with the queen, the icon, the legend Julianne Moore. The film has a script from Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby, which has me absolutely pre-shaking. Is there anything you can tell us about that project?
Continue shaking because there's not much I can say, but it's going to be incredible. Brad is such a brilliant writer and Julianne is just unbelievable. The work that she’s doing in this film is just a masterclass. It’s going to leave a lot of people just blown away.