Sydney Sweeney Reveals Her Favorite Euphoria Season 2 Meme

Sydney Sweeney reveals her favorite Euphoria season 2 meme. The actor, age 24, currently plays the beautiful, damaged Cassie Howard on HBO’s hit drama show Euphoria, starring alongside Zendaya, who plays a recovering drug addict, and co-starring Hunter Shaefer and Maude Apatow, among others. The show has enjoyed exceptional commercial and critical acclaim, with Sweeney’s performance lauded for its striking emotionality and nuance.

Behind the classically beautiful facade that Sweeney’s character Cassie presents to her fellow high schoolers, she struggles with a history of damaging relationships that left her immensely vulnerable emotionally. She often finds herself manipulated and abused by men in her life and remains in unhealthy relationships despite the negative consequences. In season 2 of Euphoria, her tumultuous affair with the villainous Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), the ex-boyfriend of her best friend Maddy (Alexa Demie), left her ostracized from her friends and emotionally distraught due to Nate’s frequent anger and erratic mood swings.

In a recent interview with Variety, Sweeney discussed playing Cassie in Euphoria, revealing her favorite of the numerous memes inspired by Cassie. Sweeney said she loves the ‘I’ve never ever been happier’ meme, referencing a frequently re-shared shot from episode 3 of season 2 of Euphoria. In the scene, Cassie, mid-breakdown, stands in front of the mirror in the bathroom at school in a blue and white checked dress and blonde hair, styled ostentatiously for the cruelly aloof Nate. Tears streaming down her face, she attempts to convince her friends in a moment of fantasy that she, in love with Nate Jacobs, is happy.

“I would have to say it’s the ‘I’ve never ever been happier’ meme. I love that meme.”

Cassie’s breakdowns have become emblematic of Euphoria. Cassie’s commitment to Nate sparked intense reflection from viewers, with some commenting on Cassie’s “betrayal” of Maddy with the affair. In contrast, others empathized with her broken fragility and Nate’s abusive manipulation of her intensely vulnerable state. In any case, the “meme-ification” of this emotional scene speaks to a resonance Cassie offers to viewers in her ironic attempt to present herself as happy despite the turmoil inside. While the scene might be an accurate portrait of excess, Sydney’s impressive performance renders Cassie’s emotionality deeply convincing.

Sweeney is building quite the brand in playing these damaged, complex woman characters, with success in similarly brooding shows and films even outside of Euphoria. Before playing Cassie, she appeared in minor roles in The Handmaid’s Tale,  Sharp Objects, and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. She most recently lent her talents to a significant role in HBO’s cutting satire White Lotus in 2021. Her roles’ often darkly multifaceted nature illustrates her fearlessness as an actor. The current successful trajectory of her career suggests that as long as Sweeney continues acting, viewers will continue to watch (and, of course, subsequently produce memes in reverent reflection.)

Source: Variety