Sydney Sweeney recently opened up on a podcast about the emotional weight she carried during her teenage years as her parents faced financial struggles and ultimately, a divorce. The actress, who has starred in shows like Christy and Anyone But You, shared how she internalized her parents' hardships while pursuing her acting career.
During an episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Sweeney recounted the family's move from Spokane, Washington, to Los Angeles when she was young. She described how she threw herself into every opportunity that could help build her resume, even though she enjoyed parts of her childhood. "Growing up in a small town, when you come to L.A., like most of you probably know, prices in L.A. are crazy. Not anything like where I came from," she said.
The shift proved overwhelming for her family. Sweeney revealed that her father lost his job, and financial pressures rapidly increased. "My family filed for bankruptcy when I was 16. They filed for divorce, and I felt like a lot of it was my fault because I had brought them to the city and uplifted their entire lives," she said. "I blamed myself for a long time."
Despite having appeared in shows like Heroes and Criminal Minds as early as 2009, Sweeney's breakthrough roles in Everything Sucks! and Sharp Objects didn't come until nearly a decade later. During her teenage years, she believed that success would allow her to reunite her parents. "So I put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed and achieve all these things so I could put different things back together," Sweeney stated, revealing the emotional toll that her family's struggles took on her young life.
