'I feel beat up by it.' Sydney Sweeney was Hollywood's It Girl. 2 allegations destroyed it.

Sydney Sweeney is an unusual type of It Girl. 

After starring in two of the biggest TV shows in recent memory — Euphoria and The White Lotus — the actress became one of Hollywood's rising young stars. 

But then in the space of six months, the 25-year-old actor was well and truly knocked off her pedestal due to two consecutive controversies. 

The actor, who most recently starred in crime film Reality, has given an interview with Variety (conducted before the actors' strike) where she addressed the media speculation she's faced in recent months. 

In response to some of the criticism, Sweeney admitted "Sometimes I feel beat up by it," she said. 

"It's hard to sit back and watch, and not be able to stand up for yourself."

The latest controversy surrounded upcoming rom-com Anyone But You, which she filmed in Australia with Glen Powell in April. Sydney and Glen were papped looking intimate together, although it's worth noting that some of the photos were capturing scenes from the movie. 

Pop culture fans were quick to speculate that something romantic was happening between the co-stars, which became extra salacious due the fact both actors were already in relationships. 

At the time, Sweeney was engaged to long-term restauranteur partner Jonathan Davino while Powell was dating model, Gigi Paris. 

The speculation probably would have settled if it wasn't for Paris unfollowing the Euphoria star before posting on Instagram that she had broken up with Powell which, of course, sent the internet spiralling that Sweeney was the cause of the split. 

However, it came out later that the couple had actually called it quits weeks before the dating rumours began. 

When addressing the rumours that the co-stars were romantic, the actor joked that "it's a rom-com". 

"That's what people want! Glen and I don't really care. We have so much fun together, and we respect each other so much."

Sweeney is still reportedly engaged to Davino, and she said she's hyped to reunite with Powell for the movie's release. "We're excited for the press tour, and... We talk all the time."

The actor went on to address another controversy that rocked her in August 2022. For a party thrown for her mum's birthday, Sydney posted a series of images and videos for the "surprise hoedown". But in the background of one video, multiple people were spotted wearing MAGA-style hats. 

In the original Instagram post, someone was also wearing a shirt emblazoned with 'Blue Lives Matter', a pro-police countermovement to Black Lives Matter.

The backlash was immediate, prompting the actor to respond on Twitter.

You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions. Much love to everyone ♥️ and Happy Birthday Mom!

— Sydney Sweeney (@sydney_sweeney) August 27, 2022

Sydney's brother Trent later clarified on Instagram that the hats read 'Make Sixty Great Again' rather than Donald Trump's campaign slogan, 'Make American Great Again'.

"There were so many misinterpretations," Sweeney said about the scandal. 

"The people in the pictures weren't even my family. The people who brought the things that people were upset about were actually my mum’s friends from L.A. who have kids that are walking outside in the Pride parade, and they thought it would be funny to wear because they were coming to Idaho."

Sweeney also found herself in hot water in October 2022 for complaining about how little actors get paid, a comment that isn't so controversial in the midst of the ongoing actors' strike. "They don't pay actors like they used to, and with streamers, you no longer get residuals," Sydney told The Hollywood Reporter. 

"The established stars still get paid, but I have to give five percent to my lawyer, 10 percent to my agents, three percent or something like that to my business manager. I have to pay my publicist every month, and that's more than my mortgage."

This comment was considered tone-deaf at the time, but in retrospect, her statements are consistent with what a lot of industry people have been saying about the skewed state of actors' salaries.

According to Life and Style Magazine, Sydney Sweeney earned around $350,000 for season two of Euphoria while Zendaya reportedly made $1 million per episode. 

In the Variety interview, the actor opened up how for years she struggled with not getting any callback for auditions, and her parents filed for bankruptcy while supporting her career aspirations.

Despite finding Hollywood success, Sydney struggles with the expectations around celebrity stardom. 

"People are so fast to build someone up, and then they love tearing them down," she told Variety. 

"And it's so fascinating to see. Three years ago, I was going to college just like everybody else. And all of a sudden, I'm not a human anymore."

Feature image: Getty.