Sydney Sweeney asks herself ‘is this real?’ amid money woes

It appears Sydney Sweeney has decided to refocus on being grateful for all of her youthful, newfound success.

Less than a month after stirring the pop culture pot by whining about how “they don’t pay actors like they used to” — the rising star of HBO’s “The White Lotus” and “Euphoria” has changed her tune.

Despite her Emmy nomination, starring roles in upcoming movies and her first $3 million mansion, the infamously voluptuous blonde recently caused quite a stir by claiming doesn’t have enough money in bank.

Now, however, the Washington native appears to recognize that she has plenty of options.

“Being able to be in the position that I am now, where I can say no, is terrifying. I get so scared. I don’t like saying no,” Sweeney, 24, told IndieWire in a new interview published Wednesday. “I actually write letters to people saying ‘I’m so sorry I’m saying no,’ because I don’t like being that person. [I want] to make sure I’m choosing characters that will surprise the audience.”

Sweeney also told the outlet, “I’m still in the ‘Is this happening? Is this real?’ phase,” noting how her name is now up in the award-worthy ranks with icons such as Patricia Arquette and Christina Ricci.

But she still gets blinded by stars in spite of her own fame. “I’m constantly still starstruck and can’t believe this life is real because for years and years and years, I dreamt and worked so hard in the hopes of being able to just have one line in a scene with somebody like that,” Sweeney said.

The “Handmaid’s Tale” alum then explained how she has a little bit of freedom to pick and choose her next projects more wisely: “I always look for projects that the character excites me, the character challenges me, the story excites me, and of course, the filmmaker.”

The young starlet has forged professional relationships with the execs at HBO and that has allowed her to appear on “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus” at the same time.

“I have been very, very fortunate and grateful for the opportunities of working with such talented filmmakers, and it does change the outcome and the reception of a project,” she said.

The trained MMA fighter convinced her parents to let her move to Hollywood when she was 14-years-old after she made a Powerpoint presentation to persuade them.

Sweeney scored guest spots and bit parts on dramas such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Pretty Little Liars” and “90210.”

“For 10 years there, I would take anything that I couldn’t get my hands on — because I just was so hungry to work.”

Her newfound positive streak is a far cry from ontroversial comments she made last month: “If I wanted to take a six-month break, I don’t have income to cover that,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “I don’t have someone supporting me, I don’t have anyone I can turn to, to pay my bills or call for help.”

She also noted that she obviously isn’t broke — hello, Miu Miu, Laneige and Armani beauty campaign deals — but she doesn’t profit as much from her day job as people may think.

“They don’t pay actors like they used to, and with streamers, you no longer get residuals,” Sweeney explained. “The established stars still get paid, but I have to give 5 percent to my lawyer, 10 percent to my agents, 3 percent or something like that to my business manager.

““I have to pay my publicist every month, and that’s more than my mortgage,” Sweeney continued. “If I just acted, I wouldn’t be able to afford my life in LA. I take deals because I have to.”