Is there anything about this experience that you’ll carry on to your next roles?

I will probably carry into other things how free it is to play someone like Cassie. When we would film, we would do some takes and then Sam would be like, “Okay, let’s do a crazy take.” And I found this crazy version of Cassie that was so freeing as an actor, where there were no rules, no idea what was gonna come out, and it just changed the entire performance, and I want to be able to carry that freedom into other performances and other characters that I play.

You recently announced your production company, Honey Trap, and it sounded like you might want to direct. Do you plan to do that soon?

I’m so interested in learning as much as I possibly can. I have loved producing, I’ve loved putting projects together, and I’ve loved learning about all different areas in this industry, behind and in front of the camera. So I think directing is something that I could be happily challenged by.

You’ve played such a wide range of characters. Which do you feel is the closest to the real Sydney Sweeney?

Gosh, I don’t think any of them are. I think that’s what’s so fun. Everybody thinks they have me figured out, but they have no clue who I actually am. That’s why I love acting. The whole point of acting is being able to play all these different characters. It wouldn’t be fun playing myself.

People really want to figure you out. A lot of narratives are put on you. How online are you, and how do you handle that?

I post and then I put my phone away. I also didn’t grow up on social media or electronics. I grew up on a lake, outside. My parents didn’t want me on a phone. And so I love putting my phone away. And I’m just hanging out with my friends, my dog. I play outside. And when I have to be on my phone for work, I’m on my phone.

Has there ever been like a narrative you’ve wanted to correct or is it even worth doing that as an actor?

I think what’s really hard is—I’m spoken for through journalists. So whatever I say now will be rewritten and posted. The thing is people like headlines and not everybody reads an article, not everyone listens to a podcast. They want the easy clickbait and whatever is the most digestible, most interesting. And that’s all they see and that’s what they run with. And then all of a sudden, crazy things just spin from it. At this point, I think it would be so tiring having to correct everything and everyone. And I am so happy with my life and my coworkers and the characters that I get to play, and that’s what’s important. And the people who are in my innermost circle, my family, they truly know who I am. And if I’m a good person to people who are around me, then that’s what matters.