Sydney Sweeney Got Her Biggest Hit Made Because Of Euphoria's Constant Delays

"Euphoria" fans have been waiting more than three years for the third season to arrive, and during that time, we've seen the cast of HBO's popular drama become full-fledged stars. Zendaya was already on her way to stardom when the series debuted in 2019, but the show also has made the careers of its ensemble members, from Jacob Elordi, who's now starring in Gullermo del Toro's "Frankenstein," to Sydney Sweeney, who has become one of the most popular actors in the world off the back of her performance as Cassandra "Cassie" Howard. Ironically, it was only when "Euphoria" took its extended hiatus that Sweeney could truly break out and take on such notable projects, most notably when she starred opposite Glen Powell in 2023's "Anyone but You."

After the "Euphoria" Season 2 finale aired on February 27, 2022, fans would have a long wait on their hands. The series was delayed both by the writers' and actors' strikes of 2023 and by its burgeoning stars' increasingly packed schedules. Meanwhile, "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson started working on another series, "The Idol" (which will go down as one of the worst HBO shows ever). On the plus side, all of that freed up Sweeney and her "Euphoria" co-stars to work on other projects — indeed, HBO confirmed that it had encouraged the actors to pursue other work in the interim.

Sweeney had a breakout hit with "Anyone but You," cementing her place as a movie star. But it seems that particular rom-com came about more as a result of the actor's ambition than anything else, as Sweeney told Vanity Fair that she'd pushed to make "Anyone but You" after she personally realized that "Euphoria" Season 3 wasn't going to happen any time soon.

In her Vanity Fair interview, Sydney Sweeney confirmed that there were several projects she had to turn down due to her commitment to "Euphoria" Season 3. But after she started producing, she was able to take a more active role in determining her schedule. "I was able to say, 'You know what? I don't think this is happening. I'm going to put some of my own projects on the slate," she explained. "That's how 'Anyone but You' happened. 'Euphoria' was supposed to start filming, and I had another film that I was supposed to do, but we couldn't get cleared, and after a few weeks, I realized, This is not happening. So I put in full gear to make 'Anyone but You.'"

That determination paid off as "Anyone but You," which had a budget of $25 million, ended up making $220 million at the global box office. While the critical response wasn't entirely positive, the movie clearly struck a chord with the right audience and received a second life on streaming, dominating the Top 10 charts on Netflix and reaping the benefits of being exposed to the streamer's 300 million subscribers. Now, with another modest box office success to her name with 2024's "Immaculate" (and the unfortunate blemish that is "Madame Web"), Sweeney is set to return for "Euphoria" Season 3, which began filming in February.