Sydney Sweeney’s time on “Euphoria” came with a surprising piece of unseen work: an elaborate pole-dancing scene she trained hard for, only to watch it get cut before audiences ever saw it. Now, with HBO’s hit drama wrapped after three seasons, the actress is openly hoping that footage finally sees the light of day.

The Scene That Never Aired

Speaking with Vanity Fair, Sweeney, who played the volatile Cassie across all three seasons, described a sequence that would have taken her character into new territory.

The scene was set at a strip club, where Cassie tags along with Maddy, played by Alexa Demie, during a photoshoot. As Sweeney described it, Cassie watches the dancers on stage and grows captivated, convinced she could do it too. After getting drunk, she dresses up and climbs onto the stage herself for a pole-dancing moment.

Sweeney threw herself into the preparation, taking actual pole-dancing lessons to pull it off. She called the experience a lot of fun and joked about the image of “crazy Cassie” on a pole, while also marveling at just how physically strong professional dancers really are.

A Disappointing Phone Call

Despite all that effort, the scene didn’t make the final cut. Sweeney revealed that creator and showrunner Sam Levinson gave her a heads-up just before the episode it was meant for aired.

According to Sweeney, Levinson called a couple of days early to explain that the scene didn’t fit the episode. While she understood the decision, she admitted to being disappointed. The silver lining came when Levinson floated the idea of releasing the footage as behind-the-scenes or deleted-scene material. Sweeney was all for it, asking him to please do so given how much hard work she had poured into the sequence.

Saying Goodbye to Cassie

Beyond the lost scene, Sweeney reflected on how difficult it was to let go of a character she’d played since 2019.

She noted that Levinson has always shot each season as though it might be the last, an approach the cast adopted as well. As a result, she said she has always treated the final day of filming as a real goodbye to Cassie, bittersweet as that may be. For Sweeney, the role was a challenging one that pushed her as an actor and let her explore places other characters might never go, which is exactly why parting with her was so hard.

The series itself ended as a major awards success. “Euphoria” earned nine Emmys, including a nomination for Sweeney as Cassie, and featured a star-studded cast that included Zendaya, Maude Apatow, Hunter Schafer, Jacob Elordi, and the late Angus Cloud.

Not the Only Scene Left on the Cutting-Room Floor

This isn’t the first time Sweeney has seen her work trimmed from a major project recently. She also made headlines after it emerged that a scene featuring her was cut from “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”

In that roughly three-minute sequence, Sweeney appeared as herself. The scene was set to show Emily, played by Emily Blunt, working with Sweeney before Anne Hathaway’s Andy, Stanley Tucci’s Nigel, and Meryl Streep’s Miranda arrived to ask for her help. The moment was ultimately removed because it didn’t fit the flow of the sequence, a decision the filmmakers reportedly found difficult given how grateful they were for Sweeney’s time and effort.

For fans, the takeaway is clear: there’s a growing collection of Sydney Sweeney performances sitting unseen, and at least when it comes to her “Euphoria” pole-dancing turn, the actress would love nothing more than to finally share it. The final season of “Euphoria” is now streaming on HBO Max.