Inside Sydney Sweeney’s Fight to Keep Nude Scenes in Euphoria Season 3

This one needs a bit of context before we dive in. 'Euphoria' season 3 has finally landed on HBO Max, and if you thought the show's notorious nudity quota might take a nosedive, think again. Sydney Sweeney, who plays the endlessly chaotic Cassie, wasn't about to let the show go coy on us – not with her character turning into an OnlyFans model this time round.

Sweeney vs. Censorship: Not the Debate You'd Expect

According to Sam Levinson, the show's creator, he actually considered toning things down for Cassie in season 3. Sounds odd, right? Levinson told The New York Times he wrestled with the idea of filming Cassie's story – explicit bits included – but cleverly cutting around the nudity. Sweeney immediately shot that down. And to be fair, she had a point.

Levinson recalled, "Well, it’s funny, when I first wrote it, I was like, maybe we shoot all of this and we don’t have any nudity, maybe there’s ways to shoot around certain things? And she looked at me and she was like, 'Are you kidding? I’m playing an OnlyFans model. You’re telling me you’re going to like, skirt around it?' And I was like, yeah, OK, that’s a fair point."

If you know anything about Sweeney, you know she's not one for half measures. Levinson went on to say she's 'totally fearless', that she brings a level of professionalism and adaptability you don't often see at her age. For him, working with Sweeney seems to be about mutual trust and her willingness to just throw herself into whatever unhinged territory Cassie ends up in.

Making OnlyFans TV: Authentic or Absurd?

Trying to make an HBO teen drama about an OnlyFans star and get the tone right is a bit of a tall order, honestly. Levinson admitted it was a strange line to walk. The plan, apparently, was to keep things true to life but also let Euphoria's signature weirdness and dark humour shine through:

"We’re tackling this world of OnlyFans where women are being paid to, like, whisper into an ear-shaped microphone. There is a level of absurdity to it that is just fun and we’re always trying to come up with ways to make it feel authentic and humorous and dramatic and also speak to the larger wants and wishes of the character."

Trouble in Paradise: Audience and Industry Pushback

The gamble hasn't exactly paid off with everyone. Loads of real-life OnlyFans creators and adult performers have slammed the show’s depiction of Cassie’s new gig – one adult actress even described it as 'disgusting.' The biggest bone of contention? The way certain actions play out legally in real life versus what Cassie can get away with on telly.

Not only are the pros unhappy, but the viewers seem equally unimpressed. 'Euphoria' season 3 is sitting on a rather humbling 39% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an even worse 38% approval from audiences. That’s a proper nosedive for a show that once set Twitter on fire whenever an episode dropped.

• Sydney Sweeney demanded Cassie's nude scenes be kept, to stay true to the OnlyFans storyline
• Sam Levinson briefly considered cutting around nudity but agreed with Sweeney's logic
• Season 3’s OnlyFans plot has angered some sex workers and legal experts
• Rotten Tomatoes: 39% critics, 38% audience
• Streaming now on HBO Max