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Sydney Sweeney is drawing a firm line when it comes to discussing her political views.
The “White Lotus” and “The Housemaid” actress told Cosmopolitan in a recent cover story that she has no plans to become a voice on political issues, despite public pressure to do so.
“I’m in the arts. I’m not here to speak on politics,” Sweeney said. “That’s not an area I’ve ever even imagined getting into. It’s not why I became who I am.”
The 28-year-old star explained that her passion lies solely in her craft. “I became an actor because I like to tell stories,” she told the magazine, while emphasizing her core values: “I don’t believe in hate in any form. I believe we should all love each other and have respect and understanding for one another.”
Sweeney acknowledged that her refusal to engage politically has paradoxically made her more of a target. “I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of,” she explained. “And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it’s somebody else assigning something to me, and I can’t control that.”
The actress’s stance comes as she continues to navigate fallout from last year’s American Eagle campaign, which centered on the slogan “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” Critics accused the ads of promoting eugenics through the “great genes” wordplay and white supremacy, while others objected to the campaign’s sexualized tone.
Speaking to Cosmo, Sweeney addressed how it feels to have beliefs projected onto her. “It’s definitely not a comfortable thing to have people saying what you believe or think, especially when that doesn’t align with you,” she said. “It’s been a weird thing having to navigate and digest, because it’s not me. None of it is me.”
The controversy, which she previously called surprising in a December People interview, has pushed her to reconsider her relationship with social media. “I’m online and I see things, but I’m slowly pulling myself away,” Sweeney told Cosmopolitan. “It’s definitely gone to a level where it’s just not healthy for me to digest it all.”
Despite the backlash, Sweeney maintained in her December comments that she loved the brand and the jeans themselves. “I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign,” she said at the time. “Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true.”
The actress reiterated to Cosmo that leading with kindness remains her priority as she continues to focus on her acting career.
English (US) ·