Inside Sydney Sweeney & Zendaya's Off-Screen Friendship

One of the most heartwarming things to come out of HBO's "Euphoria" is the sweet, real-life friendship between stars Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya. When Zendaya made history as the youngest, and first Black, woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress at the Emmys twice (for her role in the series as troubled teenager Rue), Sweeney was one of her biggest cheerleaders. "This means so much. Thank you, thank you so much," Zendaya gushed during her acceptance speech (via YouTube). Meanwhile, a visibly teary-eyed Sweeney gazed at her from the audience as the actor gave her "Euphoria" castmates a shoutout, enthusing, "Thank you for making such a safe space to make this very difficult show. I love you all so much." 

Later, the two were spotted sitting next to each other at the ceremony with Sweeney flashing a huge smile as they posed for the cameras. Following Zendaya's 2020 Emmy win, which left people shocked, the "Anyone But You" star spoke about how proud she was of her co-star in an interview with the Associated Press. "We were all watching the Emmys because we were all crossing our fingers and we just freaked out," she shared. "It's so amazing, I'm very, very proud and excited for Z." At the time, Sweeney also took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to cheer Zendaya on. 

Sydney Sweeney provided a little more insight into her off-screen relationship with Zendaya when she spoked to ComicBook.com, in 2024, about wanting to work with her on a movie. When asked about the possibility of sharing the screen with her "Euphoria" colleague on a "Spider-Man" film, for instance, Sweeney — who played Julia Cornwall in the 2024 "Spider-Man" spin-off "Madame Web" — immediately expressed her excitement at the idea. "Oh, my God, yeah, that'd be so cool," the actor confirmed (Zendaya has starred in three "Spider-Man" movies opposite her real-life boyfriend, Tom Holland, as MJ.) Around the same time, the Daily Mail cited an insider with knowledge of the situation who claimed there were rumblings that both women were being considered to play the next Bond Girl opposite Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Agent 007.

Elsewhere, Sweeney opened up about her wonderful experience working with Zendaya on "Euphoria" during a virtual interview with "Access Hollywood." The actor stressed, "I'm really lucky," elaborating, "It's been amazing being able to watch her and just see how much of a boss-a** she is." Meanwhile, Maude Apatow and Alexa Demie also heaped praise on Zendaya for being so professional while also still super fun to work with. Unsurprisingly, considering how close the cast evidently is, it's not just Zendaya whom Sweeney forged a deep bond with on set.

Alongside Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney has also become good friends with Maude Apatow after the actors portrayed warring sisters Cassie and Lexi on "Euphoria." The "Immaculate" star detailed their real-life sisterly bond in an interview for People's 2022 Beautiful Issue, during which Sweeney even described Apatow as the "sister I always wished I had." As the actor revealed, "Everyone knows that if I'm not in my trailer, I'm in Maude's or if Maude's not in hers, she's in mine." Their close relationship came as a surprise even to her, since the entertainment industry isn't always conducive to forming close bonds with other stars. As Sweeney explained, "It's so hard, not just as girls, to have friendships in our industry because we're constantly traveling and moving from one project to another. You don't have that much time to really nurture a friendship." 

But luckily, they found each other, and working long hours on "Euphoria" definitely helped. At the time, the "Voyeurs" star also shouted out her onscreen sister as "one of the kindest actresses I've ever worked with" — high praise indeed. Sweeney also referred to Apatow as "my ride or die" in a sweet Instagram carousel posted in April 2022. As for Apatow, she's just as grateful to have found her person in Sweeney, pointing out that it's especially helpful when work is demanding or something goes wrong on set since, above all else, they have each other to compare notes and provide support.