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Sydney Sweeney has addressed speculation about her political beliefs and insisted she's "not a political person."
In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, the actor opened up about her values and navigating online discourse about her politics and why she remains private in this area of her life.
At one point, Sweeney is asked how she feels about the "MAGA Barbie" nickname she's been given on social media.
"I’ve never been here to talk about politics," she told the publication. "I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of. And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it’s somebody else assigning something to me, and I can’t control that."
Sweeney was then questioned on why she doesn't correct the narrative, to which she admitted, "I haven't figured it out."
"If I say, “That’s not true,” they’ll come at me like, “You’re just saying that to look better.” There’s no winning. There’s never any winning," and added, "I can’t make everyone love me. I know what I stand for."
The Euphoria actor first came under fire in 2022 when photos emerged of her mother's cowboy-themed 60th birthday party, where one family member could be seen wearing a Blue Lives Matter t-shirt and MAGA-like red hats that say "Make Sixty Great Again".
At the time Sweeney addressed the controversy, saying that "innocent celebration" for her mother's birthday had "turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention."
Last year, the Handmaid star was criticised once more over her controversial "great jeans" advert for American Eagle, which was widely criticised on social media over its perceived racial and genetic messaging, and some accused the ad of creating "eugenics rage bait".
During this time, it was also revealed that Sweeney was registered as a Republican voter in Florida months before Donald Trump won his second US presidency.
All of this has fed into "MAGA Barbie" internet discourse, with many believing that Sweeney is right-wing in her political beliefs.
During the interview, she was asked about not speaking out about politics and whether this is something that would change in the future, like Taylor Swift.
"No. I’m not a political person," Sweeney replied. "I’m in the arts. I’m not here to speak on politics. That’s not an area I’ve ever even imagined getting into. It’s not why I became who I am. I became an actor because I like to tell stories, but I don’t believe in hate in any form. I believe we should all love each other and have respect and understanding for one another."
Elsewhere from Indy100, LAPD respond after Sydney Sweeney’s bra stunt sparks debate, and Euphoria Season 3 - Everything we know so far after official trailer.
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