For super-booked superstar Sydney Sweeney, the general concept of rest is a bit foreign, but summer 2024 was her moment to try it out anyway. Her Instagram feed is currently awash with carefree content from boat days, European travels, and beach hangs she’s been enjoying lately—posts that might even indicate a natural inclination toward winding down. And according to Sydney, these adventures have all been part of a conscious effort to recover from lifelong workaholism. “I’ve definitely realized and learned that I need a healthy balance in my life so that I’ll be able to keep working toward more projects and not feel burnt out,” she told Cosmopolitan.
Given Sydney is in her Summer of Self-Care, her partnership with Bai Water has materialized at just the right time. Her love for the flavored water brand runs deep, especially since she made an early tween-aged commitment to hydrating properly. “From when I was 12, I’ve only drank water!” Sydney said. “I made some dare to myself and followed through, but I started feeling like I needed to add some flavor to my life. Since Bai is flavor-infused water, this partnership kind of worked out organically.”
To celebrate Sydney’s newest collab, Cosmo caught up with the star, who is bidding her summer break adieu and prepping to step into the titular role Jane Fonda made famous in Barbarella. Ahead, get the full lowdown on how Sydney’s inner circle ensured she had a hot girl summer in 2024, how she’s feeling about her highly anticipated return to Euphoria, and why she’s staying committed to protecting her peace online.
You’re preparing to film the Barbarella remake and your 27th birthday is coming up. This seems like such a transitional period for you, so quick vibe check: How are you doing and how are you taking care of yourself?
I’ve always felt like an old soul, so I’ve never really looked at my “birthday age” as something big. I just set goals for myself and whether I hit them at 27, 28, or 29, if I keep working toward those goals, I’m proud of myself and happy.
Right now for the movie I’m prepping for, I’m working out a lot and I’m gaining a lot of muscle, so my routine has drastically shifted. I make sure I wash my face at night and put all my skincare on. That’s my time for myself, when I’m taking a shower, washing my face, and taking care of my body.
Do you have any fun birthday plans in the works, or are you gonna wing it?
I’m gonna be in the middle of filming, so I will be prepping and working. I don’t know if I’m gonna have a fun birthday bash this year! I’ll make it up with something else, a holiday party or something. I love throwing parties.
A birthday at work is like the quintessential Virgo birthday.
I’ve always worked on my birthday, except last year I was able to throw a really fun party. But yeah, usually I’m working on my birthday.
That just means you’re booked and busy. This summer, you’ve been doing so much fun traveling, and it’s been cool to watch you take on a relaxed mode after seeing you in all these back-to-back projects. How important was this time for you?
You know, it’s a very different feeling for me. I am a workaholic. I love to work and I love juggling a million things at the same time. It was almost like a challenge to myself, to take a step back and allow myself to go into vacation mode. And it’s been hard! My friends would hide my phone while I’d be trying to call my team so we could talk scripts and work!
Speaking of your friends—I’m speaking from an outside perspective, so please correct me if I’m wrong—it seems like a lot of them aren’t in the Hollywood space. How do you feel about maintaining friendships outside the industry?
I have a really amazing friend group where there are a few who are in this industry but most of them are not. You get to step out of what I call “the bubble” and you see what’s important in life. You see reality, and it grounds and humbles you.
You guys have been spending a lot of time at your lake house too.
It’s where I grew up! Most of my friends are still my childhood friends, and that’s why most of them aren’t in the industry because I didn’t grow up in it. It’s very much just going back to my roots.
I love that. I know you’re always with your dog, Tank, too. How’s her summer?
Tank’s good—she loves this season because she likes to lie out and tan. I can never pull her out of the sun enough. She’s getting older and she has to get surgery on her leg. Unfortunately, she tore her CCL, but she’s gonna do good. She’ll recoup and she’ll be fine.
She’ll be back on her brat summer grind in no time.
Exactly!
Because you’re gonna be pivoting back into work mode soon, I want to ask you about Euphoria. It’s been a while since you’ve spent time with Cassie as a character. What it’s like returning to a character that you’ve been away from for so long?
I mean, this is my first time doing something like this. We did have a long time between season 1 and season 2, but especially now with the time jump, it’s a new process for me. I’m kind of just learning as I go and being open for whatever’s to come. But I’m also really excited—I love Cassie. She is always such a thrilling character to play, so I’m really looking forward to what’s gonna happen in her life.
I’m sure lots of people would echo that sentiment. What are you most looking forward to about returning to that set?
I’ve always said that it feels like I’m coming home to my family. They were the crew and the cast that were there at the beginning of my career. We all came up from different places but came together and were navigating so much at the same time, so it’s really nice having that core group. They’re experiencing a similarity to what I’m going through. It’s nice to have that community.
Yeah, you all have seen such a boost in your public profiles since you started the show. One thing I’ve noticed about your public presence is your Old Hollywood approach to publicizing your relationship, in that you don’t.
I think that it’s really important to keep my personal life personal. I became an actor because I loved playing characters. I loved creating stories and jumping in and learning everything that I could about other people. I never really thought that people would be interested in Sydney. I thought that they’d want to see my character, and so I want to keep it about the work.
Do you talk to your non-industry friends about this? I know we’re in an age where everyone’s constantly sharing life updates, and I feel like people with fewer followers than you have more freedom to do so.
I don’t know if it’s the follower number that matters. It’s more just, at what point have I fully given myself to the world for people to be able to say anything they want about me and make up whatever they want? I want to share as much as I can with my audience—and of course I want them to be able to get to see who I am as a person as well—but I think it’s important to have some stuff for myself.
You walk the line pretty well.
Thank you, it’s something that I’m figuring out every single day. One day, I might be like, “You know what? I want to share more.” And on other days, I feel like I don’t want to share things anymore. I think that’s valid because we’re all growing up and figuring life out together.
Real talk.
And while you’re figuring it out, drink a Bai!
Check out Sydney’s Raspberry Lemon Lime Bai bottle here.
