Sydney Sweeney left little to the imagination with her most daring magazine cover yet, posing completely nude and coated in gold body paint for W Magazine.
Sweeney’s photos, which leaned heavily into old-Hollywood fantasy, immediately set social media abuzz, with critics accusing the actress of seeking attention and fans defending her risqué images.
Highlights
- Sydney Sweeney posed nude in shimmering gold body paint for a new W Magazine cover.
- The shoot appeared to reference a classic James Bond moment from Goldfinger.
- The photos triggered debates on social media, with some netizens expressing their dislike of the actress and others arguing that the photos were actually tasteful.
Sydney Sweeney channeled a gold-painted Hollywood fantasy in her daring photoshoot
Image credits: Getty/Gilbert Flores
For the latest issue of W Magazine, Sweeney appeared fully nude, her body covered in shimmering gold paint, according to the Daily Mail.
Her overall look appeared to be a reference to Shirley Eaton’s iconic Goldfinger scene. In the 1964 James Bond film, Eaton’s character Jill Masterson famously passes away after being painted gold from head to toe.
In one image, Sweeney could be seen kneeling on a plush velvet sofa, locking eyes with the camera while covering herself with her hands.
Image credits: W Magazine
Another photograph leaned further into the old Hollywood fantasy, showing her stretched across a couch wearing an ornate choker necklace.
Her look was finished with a glossy gold manicure and a honey-blonde bob styled in a deep side part, giving her a stunning monochromatic aesthetic.
As images from the shoot circulated, reactions quickly split across social media. Some commenters dismissed the cover outright, with one bluntly writing, “Read the room,” while another accused Sweeney of intentionally provoking engagement, adding, “This is rage bait at this point.”
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Image credits: W Magazine
Not all responses were negative, however. Several fans pushed back, with one pointing out, “She doesn’t look naked to me. Pretty classy… Everything looks covered to me.”
Sydney Sweeney also opened up about scars, fear, and childhood recklessness in an interview with W Magazine
Image credits: Goldfinger
Alongside the shoot’s provocative visuals, Sweeney also gave a candid interview with W Magazine. During her interview, she spoke openly about the physical scars she’s carried since childhood.
Despite her reputation for being very attractive, Sweeney stated that she actually has a lot of physical scars.
She has a scar near her eye from a wakeboarding accident when she was 10 years old that required 17 stitches, and she also has a lingering knee scar from tearing a ligament while riding a dirt bike.
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Image credits: W Magazine
She also described a keloid scar from an unexplained bite that occurred while filming Eden in Australia.
Sweeney stated that her fearlessness when she was younger has remained until today.
While she admitted to having plenty of fears today, she explained that being scared often pushes her to do things anyway.
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Image credits: The Housemaid/Lions Gate
“There are a lot of things that scare me, but that doesn't stop me,” she said. These include skydiving, which is frightening for her due to her fear of heights. “I'll scream the whole way, but then I'll want to do it again,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney also shared some insights into her relationship with her family, as well as the realities of her career as an actress
Image credits: Instagram/Sydney Sweeney
Despite her high-profile career, Sweeney emphasized that she is still very close to her family.
She spoke about her younger brother, who serves in the Air Force and is stationed outside London. According to Sweeney, she never knows whether they’ll be together for the holidays, so she always visits him when her work takes her overseas.
She also reflected on how different acting turned out to be compared to what she imagined as a child. While playing characters was always the dream, she said she had no idea about the additional pressures that came with the profession.
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Image credits: Instagram/Sydney Sweeney
In another part of her interview, Sweeney admitted that she no longer dreams the way she once did. She said that there was a time when she could control her dreams, but over the past year or two, she hasn’t really been able to dream at all.
She even shared a childhood story about believing she may have seen a ghost, revealing that an imaginary friend she spoke about as a child had actually passed away before she was born. This, Sweeney said, “creeped out” her mother.
The past year marked a transformation for Sweeney. Beyond acting, she has increasingly taken control behind the scenes.
Image credits: Instagram/Sydney Sweeney
She spoke about aggressively pursuing The Housemaid, partnering with Lionsgate, and helping shape the project’s creative direction after devouring the book in one sitting.
She also praised her co-star Amanda Seyfried, calling her a grounding presence who helped her feel more comfortable simply being herself. “She’s my spirit animal,” Sweeney said.
Netizens shared their thoughts about Sydney Sweeney’s nude photoshoot on social media
