“Euphoria ”Creator Says 'Fearless' Sydney Sweeney Wanted to Keep Her NSFW Scenes in Show: ‘I’m Playing an OnlyFans Model’

Adam EnglandTue, June 2, 2026 at 11:12 AM UTC

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Sydney Sweeney as Cassie in 'Euphoria'
Credit: Patrick Wymore/HBO -

Sydney Sweeney wanted to keep her NSFW scenes in Euphoria's third season, according to series creator Sam Levinson

In this season, Sweeney's character, Cassie, became an OnlyFans model and featured in multiple nude scenes that proved controversial with some critics and viewers

Levinson explained that he considered avoiding nudity in these scenes but that Sweeney said she didn't want them to "skirt around it"

Sydney Sweeney was determined to keep her NSFW scenes in Euphoria's third and final season, creator Sam Levinson has revealed.

Euphoriaended on Sunday, May 31, after a season in which Sweeney's character, Cassie, became an OnlyFans model in order to save money for her dream wedding to Nate (Jacob Elordi).

Throughout the season, Sweeney features in multiple nude scenes — which have caused controversy in some quarters — but they almost didn't happen.

Sydney Sweeney as Cassie in 'Euphoria'
Credit: Patrick Wymore/HBO

"Well, it's funny," Levinson told The New York Timesin an interview published June 1. "When I first wrote it, I was like, ‘Maybe we shoot all of this, and we don't have any nudity. Maybe there's ways to shoot around certain things?' ”

He explained that Sweeney told him, "Are you kidding? I'm playing an OnlyFans model. You're telling me you're going to, like, skirt around it?"

Levinson continued, "I was like, ‘Yeah, OK, that's a fair point.' "

'Euphoria' creator Sam Levinson
Credit: Presley Ann/Getty

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Calling Sweeney "totally fearless" and "wonderfully professional," he added, "Look, we're tackling this world of OnlyFans where women are being paid to, like, whisper into an ear-shaped microphone.

"There is a level of absurdity to it that is just fun and we're always trying to come up with ways to make it feel authentic and humorous and dramatic and also speak to the larger wants and wishes of the character."

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Sydney Sweeney as Cassie in 'Euphoria'
Credit: Patrick Wymore/HBO

Levinson added that Cassie's OnlyFans storyline made sense for her character, who "just wants to be loved" and "adored."

He explained, "It feels to me like the natural progression of social media, whether it's Instagram or any of these things — you're the product, you're the brand. It's based around external validation."

Not long after the finale aired, Sweeney appeared to defend her sexy scenes once again by posting a carousel of behind-the-scenes images featuring some of her more controversial looks on Instagram.

"It's called... acting," she wrote.

However, her post and Levinson's comments came more than four years after Sweeney said she asked producers to cut some of Cassie's nude scenes in Euphoria's earlier seasons.

"There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, 'I don't really think that's necessary here,' " she told The Independentin January 2022, "He was like, 'OK, we don't need it.' "

Meanwhile, her co-star Alexa Demie, who plays Maddy, recently discussed a Euphoria sex scene — a montage of her character cheating on Nate in the first season — that made her feel uncomfortable.

"I'm not saying I don't love sex, and I think it can be portrayed beautifully and I know the show is portraying the life of teenage girls," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "But once I did it, I realized, ‘OK, I don't love how this feels.' So I said something, and everyone was empathetic, and I never did that again."

Euphoria is now streaming on HBO Max.

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