SD. Sydney Sweeney was a star on the rise. What happened?

For a while, it looked like nothing could stop Sydney Sweeney.

After dominating the small screen with Euphoria and The White Lotus, the young American star extended her acting chops to cinema, jumping from romantic comedies (Anybody But You) to body horror (Immaculate). She even established herself behind the camera, producing several films via her own production company.

The 28-year-old’s rapid upwards trajectory, along with her tireless commitment to side hustles and diversifying, had many assuming she would become the next Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie – defining movie stars of Hollywood in recent decades.

But while her journey to the top initially seemed smooth and seamless, a few bumps in the road have since appeared, sending her trajectory on a wonkier path.

This month, Sweeney’s newest film, Christy – Australian director David Michôd’s biopic about boxer Christy Martin, a film that some predicted would put Sweeney in the running for an Oscar – had one of the worst openings in US box office history. It grossed just US$1.3 million domestically on its opening weekend, putting it among the 10 poorest-performing wide-release movies ever.

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Sweeney can’t cop all the blame, though. Promotion around the film was minimal, and its critical reviews were middling at best.

Sweeney has also come under fire from celebrities including Australian actor Ruby Rose, who said Sweeney had “ruined” the biographical drama, and criticised the production for casting a heterosexual person, let alone one who has shown some signs of conservatism, as a lesbian.

“For her PR to talk about it flopping and saying [Sweeney] did it for the ‘people’. None of ‘the people’ want to see someone who hates them, parading around pretending to be us [referring to the LGBTQI+ community],” Rose wrote on Threads this week. “You’re a cretin and you ruined the film.”

Granted, many rising stars are placed under a magnifying glass. Sweeney was followed closely while filming Anyone But You alongside Glen Powell, amid rumours the co-stars were engaging in a real-life affair despite Sweeney’s engagement (now broken) to film producer Jonathan Davino. She faced further scrutiny in 2023 after guests at her mother’s 60th birthday party were photographed wearing MAGA-style hats and “Blue Lives Matter” shirts.

However, despite the occasional negative headline, Sweeney was able to continue her ascent relatively unimpeded. That is, until the American Eagle ad campaign.

The eagle landed – with a thud

In July, the actor appeared in a jeans campaign for the US fashion retailer with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”. Within days, TikTok was inundated with people calling the campaign a form of Nazi propaganda and accusing it of promoting eugenics. (In one of the ads, Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”)

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Meanwhile, far-right online personalities embraced the move, applauding Sweeney for helping “end cancel culture”. The controversy became so inflamed that US President Donald Trump even weighed in, saying Sweeney has the “hottest ad out there”.

American Eagle defended the ads, releasing a statement in August that said they were only ever about the jeans. Sweeney, however, remained silent for months. She finally broached the subject this month while promoting Christy.

The backlash didn’t affect her, she told GQ. “At the end of the day, I knew what the ad was for.”

“I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans,” she said. “I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think … When I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”

Her response attracted ridicule from some, with several people posting on TikTok to mock the star for what they deemed a tone-deaf or dismissive reaction to the backlash.

Some celebrities also jumped on the bandwagon, such as Aimee Lou Wood of White Lotus fame, who posted a nausea emoji under the GQ video on social media. It was also rumoured that Sweeney’s Euphoria co-star Zendaya had refused to do press alongside her for the series’ upcoming third season, though this has not been confirmed by either actor.

A registered Republican

Amid the American Eagle media storm, The Guardian revealed Sweeney had registered as a Republican voter in Florida before Trump was elected president for a second time. This seemed to confirm suspicions around Sweeney’s political affiliations, which had come under question since her mother’s birthday party.

This is in stark contrast to most of Hollywood, which tends to lean left: just look at the many prominent actors who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 US election campaign. Some who have previously been very vocal about their political standing, such as The Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence, have opted to avoid the subject altogether since Trump’s re-election, believing their comments won’t make a difference.

Sweeney, though, has historically kept quiet about her politics, but has previously described herself as pro-choice, and has expressed support for LGBTQI+ rights.

The hubbub around Sweeney isn’t helped by the fact that she has simply been everywhere lately. Within 11 months, she has starred in four feature films, with one more (The Housemaid) and season three of Euphoria to come.

Those films have not been hits, either. In August, Sweeney’s Western crime-thriller Americana only grossed about US$500,000 across 1100 theatres in the US. That same month, the Ron Howard-directed Eden made just over US$2.4 million globally against a budget of about US$55 million, though the movie only had a limited release.

Earlier this year, Sweeney also starred in the Apple TV drama Echo Valley alongside Julianne Moore, a movie that was critically panned for its muddled plot and dissatisfying ending.

Then there are the countless ads, billboards and brand campaigns she has featured in. Sweeney has partnered with Laneige, Miu Miu, Armani Beauty, Kerastase, Heydude, Baskin-Robbins and, of course, American Eagle. One of her most unusual deals involved soap brand Dr. Squatch, which released a soap infused with Sweeney’s actual bathwater. This baffled (and disgusted) many who came across it, with some arguing it perpetuated female objectification.

Even her private life has drawn questions from fans, including her decision to date Scooter Braun, the man who went to war with Taylor Swift over her music masters and whom the pop star accused of “manipulative bullying”. One TikToker even went so far as to say the relationship is “brand poison”.

So, does this spell the end for Sweeney’s rise to peak Hollywood fame? Probably not. There are high hopes for The Housemaid, a film adaptation of Freida McFadden’s best-selling thriller, largely thanks to the book’s popularity. The hugely anticipated third season of Euphoria will land next year, with Sweeney returning to her role as fan-favourite character Cassie.

It’s not necessarily her acting that’s getting in the way – she may still receive an Academy Award nod for Christy, and her critically acclaimed performance in the 2023 whistleblower drama Reality confirmed she has real talent. Rather, it’s everything else around her. Then again, diamonds are made under pressure, and history has proven you don’t get anywhere in Hollywood without being seen – a lot.