Sydney Sweeney reveals truth behind controversial advert as she opens up on hate for first time

Sydney Sweeney has revealed the truth about her role in that controversial American Eagle advert, which saw her receive a huge amount of criticism.

The 28-year-old actor was quickly establishing herself as one of the biggest names in Hollywood thanks to roles in popular TV shows Euphoria and The Handmaid's Tale, but has faced huge backlash after appearing in an advert for a clothing brand, which has been accused of eugenics.

In July, Sweeney found herself at the centre of a scandal after starring in an American Eagle ad with the slogan, 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans'.

"Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour," the Anyone But You star says.

"My jeans are blue."

Despite the significant uproar in the wake of the advert, Sweeney initially suggested she was 'surprised' about why everyone was upset while speaking to GQ - something which social activist and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Misan Harriman further criticised.

This even led to her The White Lotus co-star Aimee Lou-Wood to hit out at her on Instagram, and it seemed as if Sweeney's rise to the top of Hollywood had quickly crumbled down.

However, in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the American actress has now revealed her true thoughts on the American Eagle ad and discussed the hate she's received since it first went viral.

She said: "I was honestly surprised by the reaction. I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign.

"Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true."

Sweeney was also keen to make it clear that she doesn't hold the same views as the many white nationalists and MAGA individuals in the US who aligned themselves with the advert.

She added: "Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness.

"In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realise that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it.

"So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us."

Sweeney is, of course, no stranger to stranger adverts and projects away from the film screen, as she also faced a bit of backlash earlier this year when teaming up with Dr Squatch to produce a bar of soap which was made using her own bath water.

The actress certainly hasn't seen her reputation decline too much in Hollywood either, as she's set to return for the third season of Euphoria, while she's also set to star in The Housemaid alongside Amanda Seyfried.