This Influential Sci-Fi Show Gave Sydney Sweeney a Blink-And-You’ll-Miss-It Role 10 Years Before 'Euphoria'

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Published Feb 1, 2026, 10:10 AM EST

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With only a handful of exceptions, every actor in Hollywood has put time into bit roles and walk-on parts. Sydney Sweeney, for one, has certainly done her share, with diverse roles like "Girl" in the 90210 episode "How Much Is That Liam in the Window," "Female Student #1" in The Middle's "The Final Final," and "TBA" in the upcoming The Devil Wears Prada 2. Her very first television appearance, a 12-year-old at the time, falls in the same category, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it role as "Little Girl" in a cult-classic sci-fi series that put a unique spin on the superhero genre: Heroes.

'Heroes' Breaks Convention With Its Focus

Heroes premiered on September 25, 2006, riding a marketing campaign that saw 14.3 million viewers tune in — NBC's highest rating in the 18-49 demographic for a fall drama debut in five years. In the episode, titled "Genesis," a solar eclipse (which is a recurring symbol throughout the series) incites latent abilities in a group of people worldwide, ones who represent a step forward in human evolution ("evos"). Among them is Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia), a nurse with the ability to mimic the abilities of others; Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), a high-school cheerleader able to regenerate, instantly healing from physical injuries; Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), a Japanese office worker capable of manipulating space-time; Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar), a congressional candidate who can now fly; and Matt Parkman (Greg Gunberg), a police officer who can read people's minds.

This is where Heroes breaks from convention. These are ordinary people who suddenly get powers, but they don't immediately gather together to fight for truth and justice, having embraced their newfound abilities. Instead, the superpowers are largely secondary, with the series' focus turned to how they each approach suddenly having them. Claire, for one, is afraid that life as she knows it would be over if anyone found out. Hiro, on the other hand, is absolutely stoked about it, seeing his powers as a blessing and a sign that he's meant for something more.

Then there are those whose powers have a much darker impact. Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera), a painter with a heroin addiction, learns he can paint the future, not so great when one of his first is a mural of a nuclear explosion destroying Manhattan. Worse off is Niki Sanders, played by Landman's Ali Larter, an internet stripper who develops an alternate personality, Jessica, after years of abuse as a child. Turns out that her ability isn't hers per se, but Jessica's, who is now a sinister, amoral alter ego with superhuman strength, who comes out to play during Niki's blackout spells, with her first act killing and viciously mutilating two attackers.

'Heroes' Rides Its Iconic Tagline to Bigger Numbers, Dies Out Shortly After Sydney Sweeney

Meanwhile, NBC started adding the tagline "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World" to its Heroes promos in mid-October 2006. It was absolutely brilliant, leaving current viewers wondering what it meant, intriguing new viewers to give it a try, and became part of the lexicon almost immediately. It built up to the series' third episode, "One Giant Leap," where the phrase was used for the first time in what was a ratings high for any series that fall. It gave the series its purpose for its first season, bringing together the evos to prevent Isaac's horrifying mural from taking place.

Milo Ventimiglia as Future Peter Petrelli and Ali Larter and Future Niki Sanders in the 'Heroes' episode

The Sci-Fi Series With the Greatest First Season Ever Is Leaving Streaming Next Month

“Save the cheerleader, save the world” — and maybe save this rewatch while you still can.

But you can't talk Heroes without talking about Zachary Quinto's Sylar, the super-powered serial killer and primary villain. He has the power of intuitive aptitude, which allows him to instantly understand any mechanical or biological system. The good news is that he can use that ability to replicate the abilities of other superhumans by examining their brains. The bad news is that he permanently steals their abilities by killing them, a side effect of his ability that causes an intense "hunger" to kill and acquire more power. And he might actually eat the brains — it's unclear. Quinto revels in it, delivering a chilling performance as one of television's all-time nastiest villains.

Declining ratings would see the mythology-rich Heroes end in 2010 after four seasons, but it's that fourth season where Ms. Sweeney makes her acting debut. It's in "Hysterical Blindness," the fourth episode of the season, and Sweeney, as "Little Girl," is seen sitting at a dinner table, and until Sweeney made it big with Euphoria, the episode was mainly notable for a same-sex kiss between Claire and new character Gretchen Bert (Madeline Zima). At least her second role that same year saw Sweeney play a character with a name, Dani Forester in the Criminal Minds episode "Outfoxed." Still a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but baby steps towards her eventual it-girl status.