In a recent interview promoting Christy, Sydney Sweeney discussed what she loves about acting and why she seeks out challenging roles. The 28-year-old has built an impressive acting portfolio in recent years, appearing in projects across multiple genres. From romantic comedies like Anyone But You to psychological horror thrillers like Immaculate, Sweeney has immersed herself in a range of roles that showcase her wide acting range.
Sydney Sweeney shares why she takes on challenging roles
The Euphoria actress revealed this during the AFI Fest, where she premiered Christy. She said she has always dreamed of portraying different kinds of characters.
“That’s why I fell in love with this,” Sweeney told The Hollywood Reporter. “Getting to put on all these different hats and shoes and lose myself and become other people.”
The two-time Emmy nominee added that she is constantly looking for new roles, joking that people often react with surprise when they hear about her latest projects. “It’s exciting to challenge myself,” she said. “So I look for things that challenge me in new ways or excite me in new ways.”
Sweeney’s sentiments echo what she shared in an interview with W Magazine several months earlier. Speaking about her choice of roles, the Anyone But You star revealed that she tends to choose parts that terrify her because it means she’s “challenging” herself. She admitted she has “bad stage fright” but said she’s learning to manage it. She praised theater and talk show performers, giving them “enormous credit” and admitting she fears both formats.
Despite her stage fright, The Voyeurs actress emphasized that she isn’t nervous about acting in nude scenes. “I think that the female body is a very powerful thing,” she said. “And I’m telling my character’s story, so I owe it to them to tell it well and to do what needs to be done.”
Sweeney also spoke about the development of Christy. She wanted to help tell Christy Martin’s story, even if she wasn’t in the film.
She went on to recall Martin’s emotional reaction to seeing the film. “I remember she said, ‘I felt like you went back in time and you were there during these moments in my life because I don’t know how else someone would have known that I talk like that, walk like that, move like that,’” Sweeney shared. “And that was just an amazing feeling to be able to hear that.”
Christy opens in U.S. theaters on November 7, 2025.
