‘We all grew up together’

Sydney Sweeney is shutting down the noise around ‘Euphoria’ once and for all.

In a new Vanity Fair interview, the actress directly addressed years of speculation about behind-the-scenes tension among the HBO drama’s cast, pushing back on what she described as exaggerated and manufactured narratives. 

At the center of the rumors were claims of a rift between Sweeney and co-star Zendaya, fueled by supposed political differences, awkward press appearances, and long gaps between seasons.

Sweeney, however, made it clear she sees a very different reality from the one circulating online. “It’s honestly crazy to watch how much social media and the press spin things,” she added.

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“We all grew up together on this show,” she told the publication when asked about rumors of cast drama and claims that their busy schedules led to a four-year gap between the second and third seasons.

The actress also pushed back on the idea that personal schedules caused the unusually long delay between Euphoria Season 2 and Season 3. 

© Christopher Polk/NBC

Instead, she pointed to contractual obligations that tied the cast closely to HBO productions.

“All of us were in first position, so it wasn’t like any of our schedules were holding it up,” she declared.

“I was in first position to HBO. So the moment they say, ‘Hey, this is the first day of filming,’ I’m legally not allowed to do anything else. So my schedule doesn’t affect the show,” she explained.

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According to Sweeney, the structure of these contracts meant the actors had to prioritize HBO whenever production was active, regardless of other opportunities in Hollywood. The idea that outside commitments slowed the series, she suggested, simply did not match how the system actually worked.

Behind the scenes, she also emphasized that production challenges were already well documented by the show’s creative team. Series creator Sam Levinson had previously pointed to industry-wide disruptions, including the Hollywood strikes, along with the death of cast member Angus Cloud, as major factors in the delay.

Even with the extended gap, Sweeney described the cast experience on Euphoria as deeply connected rather than fractured. The series wrapped its third and final season in May 2026, and she reflected on the unusual way the story came together for the actors themselves.

© Jeff Kravitz

“We all grew up together on this show,” she said again when discussing the long-running production and its evolving cast dynamics.

She also noted a creative process that kept performers slightly removed from the full narrative. Actors were often only given scripts for their own scenes, meaning they had to piece together the broader story in fragments while spending time together off set in trailers and between takes.

That structure, she implied, reinforced collaboration rather than conflict, even if viewers rarely saw the full picture of what was happening behind the camera.

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Supporting her account, co-stars including Jessica Blair Herman echoed her description of the set as professional and steady, dismissing claims of internal drama and insisting the environment remained focused on work rather than interpersonal conflict.

Still, outside the production bubble, speculation continued to grow. Reports circulated suggesting tension between Sweeney and Zendaya, including claims tied to political differences and the ‘Dune’ star’s personal life. Some sources even alleged that interactions between the two actors were kept minimal during press events and filming schedules.

At one point, rumors even escalated into claims involving Zendaya’s husband, Tom Holland, though none of these reports were substantiated by the cast.

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By the time the show entered its promotional cycle for Season 3, both actresses were often observed keeping a low profile around each other, which only further fueled online theories of distance between them.

Sweeney’s latest comments, however, attempt to draw a clear line between perception and reality. In her view, what audiences saw as tension was largely the result of fragmented information, long production timelines, and the internet’s appetite for drama.

For her, the experience of ‘Euphoria’ was not defined by division, but by growing up alongside a cast navigating the pressures of fame together, even as speculation swirled far outside the set.