Sydney Sweeney - ELLE Magazine (Copy)
Along with Hollywood’s hottest, Sydney Sweeney has been tapped for a role in Tarantino’s new film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She talks to Alexandra English about keeping secrets, A-listers who feel like family and being on a first-name basis with Brad
Sydney Sweeney’s excitement is palpable. Her voice is punctuated with exclamation marks and, at times, it’s like she’s talking in ALL CAPS. It’s infectious, and her sense of awe about her life is understandable (if not relatable). Just nine years ago she was a 12-year-old trying to convince her parents to let her audition for the indie flick that was filming in her small Washington State town. Now, on the eve of turning 21, she’s on a first-name basis with Brad, Leo and Margot.
“It’s been a really crazy journey,” she says down the line from Los Angeles, emphasis on the “really”. Filming for Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood has wrapped; her moody narrative feature Clementine will premiere at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival a couple of days after we speak; earlier this year she starred in Big Time Adolescence with Pete Davidson; and she’s already onto her next project, HBO’s series Euphoria, with Zendaya. Last year, there was The Handmaid’s Tale – she played Eden, the pious child-bride of the Commander’s Guardian, Nick – and Sharp Objects, where she played Alice, a troubled teen in a mental health facility. There was also her breakout as Emaline (a drama club student) in the Netflix series Everything Sucks! Scrolling through her IMDb profile, every show is familiar, though Sweeney might not have been when they aired: 90210, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, The Bling Ring, Pretty Little Liars.
But back to the Tarantino flick. There’s not much Sweeney can divulge about her role in the 1969-set film that’s rumoured to be the director’s penultimate project (he’s been saying for years that he will stop after 10 films). Everyone you’ve ever heard of in your whole entire life is in it: Leonardo DiCaprio plays Rick Dalton, an ageing TV Western star who lives next door to Margot Robbie’s Sharon Tate. Brad Pitt plays Dalton’s longtime stunt double, Cliff Booth. It’s a multiple-storyline tale of California’s counter culture in the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age. Also making appearances: Al Pacino, James Marsden, Lena Dunham, Dakota Fanning, Maya Hawke, Aussie Damon Herriman as Manson, and many, many more.
“I worked my ass off for this audition because it’s everyone’s dream to work with Quentin,” says Sweeney. (There’s that first- name thing.) “A couple of days later I found out that I would get to have a six-hour group working session with him. We had lunch and just chatted and I left that thinking, ‘Even if I don’t get this, just being in that room with him fulfilled everything I needed and wanted.’ That night I found out that I’d booked the role, but I had to wait three months before I could tell anyone.” Those three months were torture for Sweeney. “I’m horrible at waiting,” she says, laughing. “Having to be patient and waiting for the call – that was the hardest secret to keep.”
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is Sweeney’s first major motion picture, but she’s no stranger to working with big-name actors. Of working with Elisabeth Moss in Handmaid’s Tale and Amy Adams in Sharp Objects, Sweeney says that after just one day, they felt like family. “At first it was very nerve-racking and overwhelming – I psych myself out before I even get on set.” She laughs and adds, “but after just one day of filming, you feel like you’ve known one another your entire life.”
A new crop of young actors aren’t shy to admit they’re grateful to meet their idols. They gush unashamedly – think Timothée Chalamet bowing down on red carpets and Jennifer Lawrence running away from everyone she adores. It’s hard to recall another generation so openly enamoured by the ones who came before them. No one’s playing it cool anymore. These stars are “all of us” – except they’ve broken free from the fan club to join the ranks of worship.
“I got to spend time with [Leo, Brad and Margot],” says Sweeney humbly. “At first it was intimidating and I was beyond nervous – I get nervous all the time. Quentin didn’t allow the crew or cast to have phones on them, so we would hang out and he would tell us stories. It was a really nice experience to be unplugged from everything and to be focusing on this amazing film we’re making together. Even though there are no text messages or photos or anything like that, the memories will last and I think that’s really special.”
The relationships formed on set, says Sweeney, are vital. Maintaining friendships is “actually one of the hardest parts of our job. You’re basically a nomad. I filmed Handmaid’s in Toronto for six months and became the best of friends with that cast, but then I left and went to New York to film Adolescence with Pete and became best friends with all of them. But you don’t have time to build those strong relationships – it’s a lonely part of life that not many people in this industry talk about. It’s hard.” Her tone has turned sombre, but she perks up at the mention of her dog, Tank, who’s a constant presence on Sweeney’s Instagram. “We go to the beach and binge watch shows together,” she says. “Honestly, I would pick her over hanging out with anyone.”
It’s not surprising Sweeney hasn’t had much downtime to hang out with friends. In 2017, the year before her string of projects were released, she was travelling between Atlanta, LA and Portland filming Everything Sucks! during the week and red-eyeing it to “wherever Sharp Objects was filming on the weekend. I was just running off adrenaline.” She’s also studying business. “My mum always asks me when I’m going to [graduate],” she says with a laugh. “I had to take less credits to film Euphoria, so I’m a little behind where I’d like to be. I’m hoping to be done within the next two years.”
Tarantino’s reputation took a hit when the Harvey Weinstein allegations emerged in 2017. The director had worked with Weinstein his whole career and admitted he looked the other way, telling The New York Times, “I knew enough to do more than I did.” Tarantino cut ties with the disgraced producer, and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is the first of his films to be bankrolled and distributed by Sony instead of Weinstein’s Miramax. Given the sheer number of celebrities signed on, it seems the project will go off without a hitch. When asked about the atmosphere in the industry post-MeToo, Sweeney is more than a little enthusiastic. “The characters and stories being written now for girls and women are beyond what I thought would be written for me 10 years ago,” she says. “I’m glad I’m not just playing the ditzy blonde little girlfriend – I get to play these really intense, complex characters, and I love how different each one of them is. It’s a really different time for women in the industry.” It’s the dawn of a new Hollywood golden era, indeed.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is in cinemas August 15. This article originally appeared in the August 2019 of ELLE magazine. Main image: Mark Williams & Sara Hirakawa
