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Sy d n e y Sween e y

The sizzling star of Euphoria discovers an oasis in the desert.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY HARRITY Her

Own STORY LANG J. BY DERRIK Course

When she’s not fearlessly navigating Hollywood, Euphoria and actress Sydney Sweeney gets away from it all in the Coachella Valley.

STYLING BY MOLLY DICKSON | HAIR BY BOBBY ELIOT | MAKEUP BY MELISSA HERNANDEZ Despite wearing nothing but a tied-up vintage Dior blouse and a skimpy Follow Suit bikini, Sydney Sweeney doesn’t pause when asked to pose in a shaky rowboat in the middle of a man-made lake on the grounds of the palatial Kempa Villa estate in Palm Desert.

Without hesitating, the petite breakout star of the HBO on Maui during the pandemic last fall. coming-of-age drama Euphoria hops in, steadies herself, “She has this feral cat quality,” explains White, the and starts paddling around as if she grew up on a lake, veteran filmmaker who penned the screenplays for which, actually, she did. movies like The Good Girl, Beatriz at Dinner, and School “I think I knew how to water ski before I knew how to of Rock. “There’s a magnetism about her that’s hard to — properly walk,” the Spokane, Washington-born actress having done this awhile — put into words. We actually reveals a few days later on the phone during a break from auditioned a bunch of actresses, many of whom were filming the second season ofEuphoria back in L.A. “My maybe more right for the part, but there was something mom basically had me living on the water. Watersports about Sydney that stuck in my mind. I just want to watch are second nature to me, so when I saw that row boat, all her. She’s so surprising.” I wanted to do was get in it.” Sweeney plays sassy college sophomore Olivia For the past three years, it’s been smooth sailing for Mossbacher, who’s on vacation with her control freak the unstoppable 23-year-old actress, who’s celebrated mother (played by Connie Britton), dopey father (Steve a string of substantial roles in critically acclaimed hits: a Zahn), screen-obsessed brother (Fred Hechinger) and tortured mental health patient in Sharp Objects, a defiant equally brazen bestie (Brittany O’Grady). The family’s young bride in The Handmaid’s Tale, a Manson girl in trip involves much more than pool time and luau dinners, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, and a daring high- namely, the uneasy exploration of their white-and- schooler in Euphoria. wealthy privilege. Don’t be fooled by Sweeney’s willingness to show “Olivia is so spunky,” Sweeney says. “There were parts some skin on a boat ... or at the pool … or on a balcony. It of me I saw in her [from] when I was a teenager. You try would be easy and/or unfair to write her off as another so hard to fight against becoming your mother, but then doe-eyed, blonde ingénue with social media prowess. you end up becoming her, anyway. Diving into that was (She has more than 3.2 million followers on Instagram.) really cool.” The actress, who convinced her parents to relocate from It’s another stellar not-just-a-pretty-face performance Spokane to L.A. after she booked her first local acting for Sweeney, an indication that someone who looks like gig in an indie film as a teenager, is forging a path in her isn’t relegated to merely playing dumb cheerleaders, Hollywood undeterred by preconceived sexiest, ageist, ditzy sorority sisters, or inept camp counselors chased by or whateverist notions. Luck, she attests, has little to do masked serial killers. Sweeney is appreciative that she’s with her success. been afforded several roles with depth. “I definitely worked my ass off to get here, and I still “I think young females are tortured and have many work my ass off every single day,” she says. “There’s levels,” she says matter-of-factly of her body of work. always going to be someone who is more talented, who “Now, we have writers and the wokeness of the world works harder, or who is prettier than you. I can’t stop to bring that to life. We haven’t actually been portraying working hard.” females in a way that’s totally true.” Sweeney’s latest project, the HBO limited series The While she’s landed prime parts opposite the likes of White Lotus from writer-director , finds and Elizabeth Moss before even being legally her walking on water again. The dark comedy about permitted to rent a car, Sweeney isn’t convinced she’s the interconnected lives of the guests and staff during a conquered Hollywood. Not yet. When asked to recall a tumultuous week at a posh Hawaiian resort was filmed time she realized that chasing her acting dreams to L.A. had paid off, she’s stumped. “I don’t know if I’ve actually felt that,” she admits. “I’m one of those people who feel like they need to achieve PREVIOUS PAGE: Miu Miu romper more. There have definitely been moments where RIGHT: Dior vintage shirt; Follow Suit bikini; 13-year-old me would be so proud, like if I’m standing Bondeye Jewelry earrings on stage at the Emmys or if I see a poster for a project I’m

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Dior vintage shirt; Follow Suit bikini; Bondeye Jewelry earrings

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in. I don’t know if I’ve had that moment where I feel like, ‘I’ve made it. Yay, me!’ I’m always striving for more.” The latest indication of her relentlessness? During the pandemic, Sweeney started her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films, and secured the rights to Jessica Goodman’s novel They Wish They Were Us about a pair of prep school classmates unraveling the mystery of their friend’s murder. It’s being adapted as an HBO Max series titled The Players Club starring Sweeney and her pop star pal Halsey. She was so determined to bring the book to life that she flew to New York to convince Goodman, who happened to be a big fan of Euphoria. “I told her, ‘I know I have not done this before, but please believe in me and I will pull this off for you. I will work harder than I’ve ever worked.’ I bought the rights and went to different people I’ve worked with before to make it happen.” In her personal life, Sweeney is also making some waves. A few months ago, a visibly distressed Sweeney went live on Instagram with her hands quivering and her eyes filled with tears after a social media storm raged over unflattering comments about her appearance. (The word Muppet was used.) While such anonymous nastiness seems commonplace for celebrities nowadays, Sweeney felt it was important for her fans to bear witness to the emotional toll. “We live in a world where people can hide behind screens and not see that it affects others,” she notes. “It truly does. Depression and the suicidal rates of teenagers are a huge problem. There are poor souls out there, and words do affect them. There’s no one there to save them. LEFT: Gucci vintage top; Matte Collection bikini; The fact that people enjoy tearing others down is fucked Melinda Maria earrings ABOVE: Aexae bikini; up. I think it’s important to show that all people have Paris Georgia robe ; Bondeye Jewelry earrings feelings.” There are, however, limits to Sweeney’s open-door policies. She instantly clams up when asked about her boyfriend, Chicago restaurateur Jonathan Davino, who joined her at Kempa Villa after he played a round of golf in the desert. (“That’s my private life,” she responds Arrive. She appreciates, in particular, that the boutique sheepishly about him.) While the pair have been publicly hotel property offers s’mores service at the fire pits. Palm photographed together in the past, there’s not a trace of Springs is always the diversion she needs. Davino on her Instagram. “I like that it’s close enough to drive to from L.A. but it Instead, Sweeney is much more comfortable talking feels like you’ve been transported to this other world,” about Tank, her 40-pound rescue dog who stays she says. “I love going into all the little shops on Palm exclusively by her side. She’s owned Tank since she was Canyon Drive. I always end up buying knick-knacks for 17 when Sweeney found her — yes, Tank is female — at my parents and grandma, and I stop at every candy store an Arizona shelter while visiting her great-grandmother. on the street for myself.” Sweeney didn’t ask her parents for permission. “I got in There’s something else Sweeney wants to buy for so much trouble,” she says, “more trouble than I have in her parents — something fast and expensive. When she my entire life. Fortunately, everyone ended up falling in does, it might be that moment she realizes she’s made it. love with her, and she became my best friend.” “My parents got this old Four Winns [speedboat] when When she’s not working, Sweeney frequently escapes I was born, and we still have that same boat today,” she with Tank to the desert, whether it’s to attend the says. “My dream is to one day buy my parents a new Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (“I was there MasterCraft boat.” the year Beyoncé was there, so no one can rise above For the unassailable Sweeney, nothing — especially a Beyoncé to me.”) or spend a weekend hanging out at the fancy new speedboat — seems beyond the horizon.

PALMSPRINGSLIFE.COM 33 Rowen Rose romper; Bondeye Jewelry earrings

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REDValentino romper; Melinda Maria earrings

PALMSPRINGSLIFE.COM 37 Simon Miller blouse and pants; Frankies Bikinis hat; Kat Maconie shoes; Louis Vuitton vintage scarf; Melinda Maria earrings

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