The Emmy-nominated actress has impeccable music taste
Sydney Sweeney has named her favorite band from when she was growing up. You may know the actress from her Emmy-nominated performances in hit shows like Euphoria and The White Lotus, or from her recent American Eagle jeans ad. Back in 2023, she starred the music video for The Rolling Stones’ hit “Angry,” the lead single from their GRAMMY® Award-winning album Hackney Diamonds.
Now, much like fellow actress and metalhead Margo Robbie, Sweeney has revealed that her musical taste growing up was just a bit heavier than The Stones.
In 2019, Sweeney she broke through with a high-profile role in Euphoria, playing Cassie Howard — a troubled, emotionally complicated teenager whose storyline involving love, heartbreak, and self-destructive behavior quickly captured public attention. That same year she also appeared in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, directed by Quentin Tarantino, helping to raise her visibility in big-budget film.
In 2021 she further expanded her reputation with a role in the first season of The White Lotus — a celebrated anthology series from HBO. Her work on both “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus” led to major recognition: at the 2022 Emmy Awards she earned two nominations — one for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (for Euphoria) and another for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series/Movie (for The White Lotus).
Since then, Sweeney has taken on a wide variety of roles, demonstrating range across genre and medium. In 2023 she starred in the crime-drama film Reality, portraying real-life whistleblower Reality Winner. She also appeared in the 2023 western/crime film Americana. In 2024 the momentum continued: she starred in Eden (directed by Ron Howard), among other projects. And she is set to lead in several anticipated 2025 releases — notably the biopic Christy, in which she portrays pioneering boxer Christy Martin; and The Housemaid, a psychological thriller due in December 2025. She is also involved in the 2025 thriller Echo Valley.
Beyond just acting, Sweeney has increasingly taken control behind the scenes. She’s expanded into producing — a move that reflects both ambition and a desire for creative agency.
Her cultural impact has been substantial. Through “Euphoria,” she became a face for Gen Z–era teen angst: her portrayal of Cassie resonated with fans navigating toxic relationships, mental health, beauty pressures, and the messy realities of coming of age. Meanwhile, by taking diverse roles — from prestige TV to indie drama to mainstream film — she’s avoided being pigeonholed, signalling a broader shift in Hollywood toward valuing versatility and willingness to take risks.
Her 2022 Emmy nominations underscored how seriously the industry was beginning to take her. And as of 2025 she seems positioned for even more prominence — with “Christy” generating early praise, projects lined up, and growing respect for her willingness to tackle challenging subjects and unconventional roles.
In new segment with Vogue, Sweeney sits down with fellow actress Amanda Seyfried. The two interview each other, taking turns firing off random questions from cue cards. During the segment, Seyfried asks Sweeney, “What’s your favorite band from childhood?”
Without hesitation, Sydney turns to the camera, and states emphatically – “Nine Inch Nails.”
Well, there you have it.
So, if Sydney Sweeney’s favorite band growing up was Nine Inch Nails, you have to wonder – what does she listen to now?
Nine Inch Nails recently wrapped a North American leg of their massive Peel It Back World Tour. The trek launched on 15 June at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The run will see the group play shows across Europe, the UK, and North America. Since kicking off, the tour has drawn over 450,000 fans across two legs and earned widespread critical acclaim and praise from fans. In addition to individual tour dates, the band is also set to headline Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, Mad Cool in Spain, and more.
Now, the band is running it back next year. The second North America leg kicks off on Thursday, February 5 in New Orleans, LA at Smoothie King Center, with stops in Washington, DC, Montreal, Austin, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and more before wrapping Monday, March 16 in Sacramento, CA at Golden 1 Center. Friend and collaborator Boys Noize will join the band again on all upcoming dates.
Check out the full tour itinerary below.
Tickets are on sale now.
The band’s 2022 world tour, which included a mixture of headline shows and festival headlining slots, earned stellar reviews. Revisit our coverage from The Met in Philadelphia HERE.
Before the next leg of the tour begins, the first-ever edition of Future Ruins takes place in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 8. The one-day music festival celebrating the visionary composers shaping the sound of modern cinema and television. Created and curated by Academy Award-winning artists and NIN members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the festival features live performances from groundbreaking artists across three stages — with select sets accompanied by full orchestra. Taking place on November 8, 2025, at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Future Ruins invites audiences to experience iconic scores not as background, but as the main event. The music tells the story.
“It’s about giving people who are, literally, the best in the world at taking audiences on an emotional ride via music the opportunity to tell new stories in an interesting live setting,” says Reznor.
Back in September, Nine Inch Nails released their new album – the soundtrack for the feature film Tron: Ares. With the release of the record, Disney World in Orlando, Florida has added music from the soundtrack to The Tron Lightcycle attraction at the Magic Kingdom. Fans can now hear Nine Inch Nails playing in the attraction’s queue and while riding.
Check out footage of the new NIN-laced run HERE.
Starring Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman and Oscar winner Jared Leto, Tron: Ares arrives in theaters on October 10. Nine Inch Nails performed the entire soundtrack for the film, which was written by the band’s Academy Award-winning duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The soundtrack is available now on cassette, CD, limited edition CD, standard black vinyl, and limited edition red and gray vinyl.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are multiple Academy Award and Grammy-winning composers, producers, and longtime collaborators known for their emotionally charged and genre-defying film and television scores. Their work includes acclaimed projects such as The Social Network, Gone Girl, Watchmen, Soul, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and most recently, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers.
Set across three stages at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Future Ruins is designed to feel thoughtful and immersive, bringing this music to light in an environment where it has never been heard before. Every artist is a headliner, each with their own specially curated moment. Each artist is encouraged to take big swings and reimagine their work for a live audience. Ranging from electronic sets and live bands to orchestral performances, fans have the chance to experience live debuts from composers who rarely appear onstage.
“There’s no headliner. There’s no hierarchy. This is a stacked lineup of visionaries doing something you might not see again,” says Reznor and Ross.
This one-time line up is not just a music festival — it’s a cinematic ceremony, a deep dive into sound and story, and a historic first for Los Angeles.
Nine Inch Nails are undoubtedly one of the greatest artists of all time. Pioneers of the industrial genre, they incorporated elements of rock, metal, electronica, and alternative rock to forge a style all their own. They shook the music world to it’s core in 1989 with their debut album, Pretty Hate Machine. The record was truly groundbreaking, and has since gone on to be certified multi-platinum. In 1994, NIN set the bar once again with their sophomore effort, The Downward Spiral, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200. The disc went on to sell over 5 million copies, and be certified quadruple-platinum. It spawned arguably the band’s finest moment, the single “Closer.”
Throughout their career, Nine Inch Nails has sold over 30 million records worldwide.