Sydney Sweeney appeared to bid farewell to Euphoria season 3 with a dramatic Instagram post on Sunday, May 31, sharing behind-the-scenes and on-screen photos from the HBO drama. The caption, “It’s called… acting,” accompanied images that many fans interpreted as a sign the season is wrapping up for her character, Cassie Howard. The post highlighted some of the most talked-about scenes from the season and quickly drew attention online.
Among the photos was a nearly nude image of Sweeney posing with a snake, a reference many viewers recognized from a scene involving Alamo, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, at The Silver Slipper. In the image, Sweeney covered herself with green pasties while posing semi-nude with the reptile. Other pictures showed her with castmates, including Alexa Demie, who plays Maddy Perez, and Jacob Elordi, who played Nate Jacobs and Cassie’s onscreen husband.
Sweeney has been at the center of discussion throughout the season because of Cassie’s storyline, which includes joining OnlyFans and becoming a sexualized online creator. The role has sparked strong reactions, especially after several episodes featured topless scenes and sexually explicit moments. In one episode that aired Sunday, May 10, Cassie grew her subscriber count on OnlyFans with help from Maddy by filming graphic content. In the penultimate episode on May 24, Cassie struggled after her account was deleted and then attempted to regain followers by sleeping with an actor named Dylan, played by Homer Gere.
After the hookup, Cassie secretly uploaded a selfie of them together to Dylan’s social media account, helping her rebuild her online presence and attract enough subscribers to reenter the OnlyFans world. The storyline has generated criticism from viewers and from some real-life OnlyFans creators, who argued that the show’s portrayal of sex work and content creation is inaccurate or harmful.
Show creator Sam Levinson defended the approach in an April interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying the absurdity of Cassie’s situation was intentional. He said the humor comes from the character’s costume and the fact that her housekeeper is filming the content, calling it important to step outside Cassie’s fantasy and “break the wall.” Levinson explained that the show aims to balance the character’s illusion with a layer of irony and discomfort.
Euphoria continues to air on HBO on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET, but Sweeney’s latest post has fueled speculation that her time filming the current season may be coming to an end.
