There's no steering Sydney Sweeney away from her favorite hobby.
Sure, she's glam on "Euphoria" as boy crazy Cassie, but off-camera, she's getting down and dirty, fixing up her used 1969 Ford Bronco in front of an audience of nearly 1 million on TikTok.
"I wanted a Bronco so badly," Sweeney said in a recent interview with Cosmopolitan. "But I wanted to build one so that when I drove it and people said 'cool car,' I could be like 'yeah, thanks' and know I made it."
Since buying the car in February 2021, she's done everything from wire brushing rust off to rebuilding a back axel — much to the delight of those watching along behind their phone screens.
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Her restored Bronco is not the first old car she's driven, making her latest project a full-circle moment for the actress.
After moving from Spokane to L.A., Sweeney drove her grandparents' old Volvo to get to class as a teen. At a high school full of Range Rovers and BMWs, she felt "embarrassed" of the car she said was initially inhabited by squirrels and covered in oil stains.
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"I feel bad because I'm so beyond grateful that I had grandparents who were able to give me a car, but I would leave the keys in the ignition hoping someone would steal it so I could take the insurance out on it," she said. "No one did."
These days, Sweeney feels grateful to have a restored car, a newly bought home and even more pride in her Spokane roots. In fact, her first house includes the same quirks that remind her of her childhood home: little secret doors and laundry chutes.
As she told the outlet, "Sometimes I feel guilty talking about it because I remember myself just three, four years ago not wanting to park in my school lot because I didn't have a nice car."
The actress is not only exploring her mechanic side. She is also starting her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films, and is executive producing the upcoming HBO Max series, "The Players Table," starring herself and Halsey.
However, it hasn't been easy getting support from her peers. "I was told I have to do multiple things before I can get a credit like that, as if I didn't deserve it," the 24-year-old star admitted. "And that came from women. I found that very surprising. Everyone puts on the charade that we're supporting each other, but I have not felt that fully yet."
As she takes the driver's seat in her career and her 1969 Bronco, Sweeney is happy of how far she has come.
"I'm beyond proud of myself," she said. "I get teary thinking that I'm actually working and achieving my dreams."
