Sydney Sweeney isn’t letting online criticism distract her. The “Euphoria” star, who recently faced backlash over her American Eagle jeans campaign, said she has learned to ignore public chatter and focus instead on the people who genuinely know her. Sweeney’s comments follow a wave of social media debate over her latest ad campaign, which sparked mixed reactions among fans. Despite the controversy, the actress remains unfazed.
Sydney Sweeney focusing on ‘people who matter’ amid American Eagle jeans ad controversy
In a new interview with Extra’s Mona Kosar Abdi, the 28-year-old actress reflected on staying grounded while promoting her upcoming biographical drama “Christy,” in which she plays legendary boxing champion Christy Martin.
“You just know who you are,” Sweeney said when asked about handling negativity. “And the people who matter — your friends and your family — they know who I am. And… to me, like, that’s what’s most important. Everything else is just noise… none of it’s real. And I’m just surrounded by really good people. And I love my job and I love my characters and I just stay focused.”
Sweeney also revealed what drew her to portray the legendary fighter. “Honestly, it was the fact that when I read the script, I didn’t know who she was,” she said. “And I was completely shocked that I had not heard of Christy Martin before. And I was like, ‘Everybody needs to know who she is, and everybody needs to know her story because it will save lives and it’s very important.’”
Martin’s life took a harrowing turn in 2010 when she was stabbed and shot by her husband and manager, James Martin. Against all odds, she survived the attack, while James later died in prison in 2024. In “Christy,” Ben Foster portrays her abusive husband opposite Sweeney.
Sweeney said portraying such an intense role required complete emotional surrender. “You have to completely hand yourself over to your character,” she explained. “You have to make sure that you are bringing every single piece of this person to life that you possibly can on a physical side, a mental side, an emotional side.”
Originally reported by Khushali Srivastava on Reality Tea
