Sydney Sweeney's New Space Opera Is A
Sydney Sweeney's New Space Opera Is A "Big Action-Romance Epic"
Sydney Sweeney's new space opera is a "big action-romance epic," according to her co-star.
Though she rose to fame on television in HBO's Euphoria and The White Lotus, earning Emmy nominations for both, Sweeney has since taken her talents to the big screen, jumping between genres in the rom-com Anyone But You (2023), the superhero movie Madame Web (2024), the horror movie Immaculate (2024), and the psychological thriller The Housemaid (2025). Now, Sweeney is starring in a space opera.
Hollywood · Rising Star Dossier How Well Do You Know Sydney Sweeney? From Euphoria to the big screen — test your knowledge
🎡EuphoriaCassie Howard
🏜White
LotusOlivia Mossbacher
📸Anyone
But YouBea
🎬RealityWinner
⛫ImmaculateSister Cecilia
01
Sydney Sweeney’s breakout role on HBO’s “Euphoria” earned her widespread recognition. What is the name of her character on the show?
✓ Correct! Sydney plays Cassie Howard, the emotionally vulnerable and people-pleasing teen whose turbulent love life becomes a central storyline. Her Season 2 performance — especially the iconic bathroom meltdown scenes — earned her an Emmy nomination.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Cassie Howard. Rue Bennett is Zendaya’s character, Maddy Perez is played by Alexa Demie, and Lexi Howard (Cassie’s sister) is played by Maude Apatow. Sydney’s Cassie became one of Season 2’s most talked-about characters.
02
In the first season of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” Sydney plays a sharp, judgmental college student vacationing in Hawaii. What is her character’s name?
✓ Correct! Sydney plays Olivia Mossbacher, the privileged and intellectually pretentious daughter of the Mossbacher family. Her deadpan delivery and snobbish attitude made Olivia a fan-favorite character in Mike White’s satirical hit.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Olivia Mossbacher. Rachel is Alexandra Daddario’s character, Paula is Brittany O’Grady’s role (Olivia’s best friend), and Quinn is Olivia’s younger brother. Sydney’s Olivia steals every scene with her cutting commentary.
03
Before her major breakout, Sydney appeared in a critically acclaimed Hulu series based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel. Which show was it?
✓ Correct! Sydney played Eden Spencer in Season 2 of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a devout and obedient young bride in the oppressive Gilead regime. Despite being a recurring role, her performance was emotionally devastating and showed her dramatic range early on.
✗ Not quite! The answer is The Handmaid’s Tale. Sydney played Eden Spencer, a 15-year-old bride in Gilead during Season 2. It was one of her first major prestige TV roles and demonstrated the dramatic talent that would later explode with Euphoria.
04
Sydney starred in the surprise rom-com hit “Anyone But You” (2023). Which actor plays her love interest, Ben, in the film?
✓ Correct! Glen Powell plays Ben opposite Sydney’s Bea in this modern retelling inspired by Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The film became a sleeper box office hit, earning over $220 million worldwide and reviving the theatrical rom-com genre.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Glen Powell. While Jacob Elordi is Sydney’s Euphoria co-star, it’s Glen Powell who plays her enemies-to-lovers match in “Anyone But You.” The film’s massive success was credited to their electric chemistry.
05
Sydney starred in and produced the 2024 horror film “Immaculate.” Where is the film primarily set?
✓ Correct! “Immaculate” is set in a remote Italian convent where Sydney plays Sister Cecilia, a young American nun who discovers the institution harbors terrifying secrets. Sydney also served as a producer on the film, marking a significant step in her behind-the-camera career.
✗ Not quite! The answer is a remote convent in the Italian countryside. Sydney plays Sister Cecilia, a devout young nun who travels to Italy only to find herself trapped in a nightmare. The film was shot on location in Italy and showcased Sydney’s range as both star and producer.
06
Sydney made Emmy history in 2022 by earning two acting nominations in the same year for two different HBO shows. “Euphoria” was one — what was the other?
✓ Correct! In 2022, Sydney earned a Supporting Actress nomination for “Euphoria” and a Limited Series Supporting Actress nomination for “The White Lotus” — both on HBO. Being double-nominated across two of the network’s biggest shows cemented her as one of the most in-demand young actresses in Hollywood.
✗ Not quite! The answer is The White Lotus. Sydney’s dual nominations for Euphoria and The White Lotus in the same Emmy cycle was a remarkable achievement. Both shows were critical and commercial hits for HBO, and Sydney was central to each.
07
In the 2023 HBO film “Reality,” Sydney plays a real-life person — an NSA whistleblower who leaked classified documents to the press. Who did she portray?
✓ Correct! Sydney portrays Reality Winner, the former Air Force linguist and NSA contractor who was arrested in 2017 for leaking a classified report on Russian election interference. The film recreates her FBI interrogation using actual transcript recordings and was praised for Sydney’s riveting, restrained performance.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Reality Winner. The HBO film is based on the real FBI interrogation of Reality Winner, who leaked classified intelligence documents. Sydney’s intense, dialogue-driven performance was widely praised as some of her finest dramatic work.
08
Beyond acting, Sydney is known for an unusual hobby she’s been passionate about since she was a teenager, even earning a competition-level certification. What is it?
✓ Correct! Sydney is famously a trained MMA fighter and a gearhead who restores classic cars. She’s been passionate about mixed martial arts since high school and has also shared her love of working on vintage automobiles — hobbies that surprised fans who only knew her from her on-screen roles.
✗ Not quite! The answer is MMA training and restoring vintage cars. Sydney trained in MMA as a teenager and still practices. She’s also a self-taught mechanic who restores classic cars in her spare time — she’s shared her work on social media, showing there’s much more to her than meets the eye.
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During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast hosted by Josh Horowitz, Noah Centineo teased the upcoming live-action Gundam movie co-starring Sydney Sweeney, calling it a "big action-romance epic." He also revealed that it's set in the "Universal Century canon of Gundam" and likened it to a "non-Shakespearean Romeo and Juliet in space." Read his full comments below:
It's a rom-com between her and this guy. There's romance in it. It's a big action-romance space movie. It lives in the Universal Century canon of Gundam, for those who know. I don't know how much I can tell you about what characters are in it, if they are, if they're not. But I will say that you can compare it to a little bit of, like, a non-Shakespearean Romeo and Juliet in space. That's so far the aim. But listen, we just wrapped it a week and a half ago.
The upcoming Gundam movie is written and directed by Jim Mickle, based on the 1979 Sunrise mecha anime series Mobile Suit Gundam created by Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino. Per Netflix, the film's synopsis reads, "As shifting allegiances and a growing threat set them on a collision course for one another, two opposing factions are pulled into a high-stakes race across the stars that could define the fate of humanity."
In addition to Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo in lead roles, the cast also includes Michael Mando (Better Call Saul, Spider-Man: Brand New Day), Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool & Wolverine), Gemma Chua-Tran, Nonso Anozie (Game of Thrones, Sweet Tooth), Javon Walton (Euphoria), Oleksandr Rudynskyi (The Agency), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The White Lotus), Ida Brooke (Dune: Part Three), and Jackson White (Tell Me Lies).
Though a live-action adaptation of Mobile Suit Gundam has been in development since 2018, Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo weren't cast until 2025. Filming began this past April and wrapped in July, with the movie expected to be released on Netflix in 2027.
From the moment it was announced, the live-action Gundam movie was expected to deliver a sprawling sci-fi spectacle, packed with giant mecha action. However, Centineo's comments suggest there should be a softer side, too. Beneath all the metal and mayhem, the movie sounds like a romance set in space, with Sweeney and Centineo caught in a Romeo and Juliet-style story. That's certainly a different kind of Gundam.