The internet is having an absolute meltdown over comments made by white-hot rising actress Sydney Sweeney, who plays chaotic chaos agent Cassie Howard on HBO’s raunchy teen drama “Euphoria.” The 26-year-old blonde bombshell revealed to IMDb that her very first celebrity crush was none other than 48-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio – you know, the “Titanic” heartthrob turned environmental activist with a penchant for dating women barely older than college freshmen.
In the cringeworthy clip that’s making the social media rounds faster than you can say “midlife crisis,” Sweeney absolutely gushes about first falling for DiCaprio’s boyish charm and dreamy looks way back in 1996’s “Romeo + Juliet.” Swoon city, am I right ladies?
“My first movie star crush was Leonardo DiCaprio,” the actress says with the enthusiasm of a tween at a BTS concert. “Romeo + Juliet, I think that was the first time I saw Leo in a film. After that, I ended up watching every other film he’s ever done. Titanic, I loved him in that.”
Okay, so a harmless celeb crush from a young Sweeney on a ridiculously good-looking DiCaprio back in the 90s when he was the hottest young stud in Hollywood. No biggie, right? Well, hold onto your pearls, because it gets worse/better (depending on how chaotic you like your entertainment news).
You see, Sweeney didn’t just have to settle for posters on her bedroom wall like the rest of us mere mortals. Oh no, this lucky lady ACTUALLY GOT TO WORK WITH HER CRUSH! Talk about an absolute fever dream come true.
Spilling all the cringe-worthy deets, Sweeney breathlessly recounts: “Then I got to work with him. I had to pinch myself, take in every possible moment that I could when I was working with him, trying not to faint.”
Sweeney starred alongside DiCaprio in 2019’s “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” from famed director Quentin Tarantino. So she went from drooling over Leo’s shirtless 90s-era bod as a pre-teen to acting opposite the still objectively good-looking, but now solidly middle-aged (and controversially eternally dating women under 25) movie star just a few years later. What a wild ride!
Obviously, the internet is having an absolute field day over this one. Reactions range from making fun of Sweeney as being “too old” for DiCaprio’s dating preferences to outright slut-shaming the young starlet for daring to be attracted to an older, powerful man in her industry. Totally chill and not at all unhinged, right?
“She’s 26. Isn’t that too old for him???” one clever Twitter user quipped, earning thousands of retweets and likes from folks seemingly forgetting that A) Sweeney was confessing a childhood crush, not professing hopes of marrying the man and B) Women are entirely capable of feeling attraction without it being some kind of transaction.
Other gems include: “Leo probably would have dated her 5 years ago” and “Too old for him. Sorry girlie but you JUST missed your window.” Ha ha, very funny and original stuff mocking a woman’s desirability based entirely on her age and how it relates to one significantly older man’s dating patterns. Pinnacle of comedy.
In between all the slut-shaming and age-related potshots, there were actually a few people on social media defending Sweeney and her completely normal, totally understandable crush. “Come on. He has to make an exception for this one,” one person commented, presumably regarding DiCaprio’s ritualistic dating of models in their very early 20s.
At the end of the day, Sweeney is a massively talented and successful young actress who can admire whomever she pleases. She has plenty of exciting projects coming up including “Echo Valley” and “Eden.”
Meanwhile, the 48-year-old DiCaprio is currently dating 25-year-old model Vittoria Ceretti after splitting from his previous 20-something girlfriend Camila Morrone right after she “aged out” by turning 25. His perpetual May-December romances may be creepy, but they’re entirely his own business at this point.
The only thing more tired than DiCaprio’s dating patterns? The outraged internet dogpiling on any woman who dares express physical attraction. But hey, at least it’s sparking a conversation…about society’s depressingly outdated tendencies to hypersexualize and demean female sexuality at every opportunity. Woof.
