VARIETY ‘Actors on Actors’: Sydney Sweeney and Ethan Hawke Discuss EUPHORIA, Acting as Teens, and More

Pin

In a new conversation for VARIETY’s “Actors on Actors” issue, Sydney Sweeney and Ethan Hawke discuss how Sweeney wishes Hawke were her dad, EUPHORIA, acting as teens, CHRISTY, BLUE MOON, and more. 

Pin

Pin

Hawke and Sweeney on Sweeney’s commitment to her work:

Hawke: It’s exciting to see somebody lay it all out there. I really believe this: The world loves it when you take a dare. And you took a dare. You’re throwing yourself at your work, and you’re doing a great job. It’s fun to get to talk to you at this moment in your life.

Sweeney: Man, I wish you were my dad.

Hawke and Sweeney on “Euphoria”:

Hawke: What about television? What’d you learn? What was “Euphoria” like?

Sweeney: “Euphoria” was the beginning of everything for me. Cassie is a very emotional and heart-driven character, so I had to be very free with every choice that I made. I had to not question myself. I had to just dive in, make crazy decisions and not judge what I was doing. And the more I did it — I just wrapped Season 3 — I am so thankful, because I’m not scared to try something, even if it’s completely bonkers. Sam [Levinson] would always go, “All right, let’s just do a Cassie crazy take.” And they were always our favorite takes because we would let all rules go and lose yourself to it.

Hawke and Sweeney on acting young:

Hawke: It was without complication. I knew when she was about 4 that she was gonna be an artist. And I knew that she was gonna be a very good one. That was her safe place, watercoloring, dancing, singing all throughout her childhood. There were a lot of things about her childhood that were really, really hard and complicated, and things I regret for her. But anything that had to do with human communication was something she vibrated to. I remember some teacher said, “Maya, are you happy?” ’Cause they were worried about her.’ And she said something to the effect of, “Do you really think that’s the question?” I thought, “I love this kid.” She was about 13. “I don’t think that’s a very interesting question. I think there’s a lot more interesting questions than whether I’m happy or not. Am I happy? No. But I don’t aspire to be happy.” So I never worried about her going into the arts, because I knew that was gonna save her life. How old were you when you started?

Sweeney: 12, 13.

Hawke: So it probably wasn’t much of a choice for you either.

Sweeney: It was just in me. I loved it. People would be like, “What’s your plan B?” I was like, “I don’t have a plan B, ’cause I’m not prepared to fail.”

[Photo Credit: Alexi Lubomirski for Variety, Courtesy of Variety]

• Alexi Lubomirski
• Editorials
• Ethan Hawke
• Magazines
• Sydney Sweeney
• Variety