Sydney Sweeney Wants to Be a Young Mom, but Worries Hollywood Won't Have It

Sydney Sweeney is having her biggest year yet. The Euphoria and White Lotus actress recently received two Emmy nominations, has become the face of numerous health and beauty brands and was just cast in Marvel’s new Spider-Man spin-off, Madame Web. It seems like there’s not much this young star can’t do. But she says one of the next goals on her list—becoming a mom—isn’t so easily reachable.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sweeney expressed her desire to start a family, but says she’s worried that having a child would change the way Hollywood would look at her, disrupting her thriving career and threatening her financial security.

“I want to have a family, I’ve always wanted to be a young mom, and I’m worried about how this industry puts stigmas on young women who have children and looks at them in a different light,” Sweeney told The Hollywood Reporter. “I was worried that, if I don’t work, there is no money and no support for kids I would have.”

At the beginning of her career as a young actress with no connections, Sweeney remembers the sacrifices her parents made to help her chase her dreams. Her family initially struggled to afford life in L.A. and for a while lived in a one-bedroom hotel, with Sweeney sharing a bed with her mom while her dad and brother slept on the couch. Just a little over 10 years later, the fear of financial insecurity still looms in the back of her mind.

“If I wanted to take a six-month break, I don’t have income to cover that,” Sweeney said in the interview. “I don’t have someone supporting me, I don’t have anyone I can turn to, to pay my bills or call for help.”

While one may rightfully assume that Sweeney’s current success level can afford almost any lifestyle, the HBO star says it’s not that simple. “They don’t pay actors like they used to, and with streamers, you no longer get residuals,” Sweeney notes. “The established stars still get paid, but I have to give 5 percent to my lawyer, 10 percent to my agents, 3 percent or something like that to my business manager. I have to pay my publicist every month, and that’s more than my mortgage.”

Before you think, “oh no, the poor rich girl,” Sweeney clarifies that she understands that she is extremely privileged and doesn’t want your false sympathy; she simply wants people to understand that there are harsh realities to her job. There’s a high cost, monetarily and mentally, to staying relevant and successful as a young actress these days. A cost Sweeney believes she couldn’t afford right now if she took time off to be a mom.

Despite this, Sweeney is optimistic about her future and the future of women in Hollywood. She has recently launched her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films, which she hopes will put the power back in the hands of young women. A power Hollywood femmes can hopefully wield in the future to tear down outdated stigmas and prioritize their desires, no matter what they are in life.