Los Angeles, Jan 30 (IANS) Actress Sydney Sweeney feels she's become a "pawn" in political circles in recent months, but she says she's focused on her acting career, rather than political issues.

Sweeney told Cosmopolitan magazine: "I've never been here to talk about politics. I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of.

“And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it's somebody else assigning something to me, and I can’t control that."

Asked why she doesn't correct assumptions made about her, Sydney replied: "I haven’t figured it out. I’m not a hateful person. If I say, 'That’s not true,' they’ll come at me like, 'You’re just saying that to look better.' There’s no winning. There’s never any winning.

"I just have to continue being who I am, because I know who I am. I can’t make everyone love me. I know what I stand for."

Despite this, the actress says that she's "not a political person,” reports femalefirst.co.uk.

She explained: "I’m in the arts. I’m not here to speak on politics. That’s not an area I’ve ever even imagined getting into. It’s not why I became who I am. I became an actor because I like to tell stories, but I don’t believe in hate in any form. I believe we should all love each other and have respect and understanding for one another."

Sweeney was previously criticised for her role in an advertising campaign, which played on the words "jeans" and "genes".

Talking about the actress, Sweeney gained early recognition for her roles in Everything Sucks!, The Handmaid's Tale, and Sharp Objects. She received wider reach for her performances in Euphoria and The White Lotus.

In film, Sweeney garnered critical acclaim for her performances in the drama film Reality and for her portrayal of professional boxer Christy Martin in the biopic Christy.

--IANS

dc/