SYDNEY SWEENEY AND MARILYN MONROE SHARE A FAMILY CONNECTION — AND GENEALOGY RESEARCHERS FOUND IT

Sydney Sweeney has long been compared to Marilyn Monroe, not only because of their looks but also because of the way she embraces classic feminine imagery through fashion and her public appearances. What makes the story even more intriguing, however, is that according to genealogical research published by MyHeritage, the resemblance between the two stars may not be limited to appearances. The actresses are reportedly distant relatives, identified as ninth cousins, once removed.

According to MyHeritage, both Sydney Sweeney and Marilyn Monroe can trace one branch of their paternal ancestry back to Ezra Perry, an English settler who lived in Sandwich, Massachusetts, during the 17th century. The historical figure is considered the key link in the research, connecting two family trees that would otherwise appear to have nothing to do with one another. In genealogical terms, this is an extremely distant relationship. It does not indicate that the two actresses had any close family connection or direct relationship in their personal lives.

Importantly, the finding does not mean that Sweeney's appearance can be attributed to Monroe through their shared ancestor. A relationship as distant as ninth cousins, once removed is not enough to explain similarities in physical appearance, style or overall presence. In addition, the information made public does not include the complete documentary trail establishing every link between the two family branches and Ezra Perry. For that reason, MyHeritage's finding is best viewed as an intriguing genealogical discovery rather than definitive proof behind every similarity between the two actresses.

The timing of the discovery is what makes the story particularly interesting, as it coincides with a series of images in which Sydney Sweeney has deliberately drawn inspiration from Marilyn Monroe. In recent years, the Euphoria actress has increasingly appeared in fashion choices reminiscent of the Hollywood icon of the 1950s. Dresses, hairstyles and poses with a Monroe-inspired aesthetic have repeatedly prompted the public to place the two women side by side, despite belonging to entirely different generations of Hollywood.

One of the most striking examples came when Sweeney appeared at the premiere of The Housemaid in an outfit that clearly evoked the famous white dress Marilyn Monroe wore in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch. Monroe's appearance standing over a subway ventilation grate as the air lifted her white dress has become one of the most recognizable moments in cinematic history. It was not simply a memorable costume, but an image that became part of popular culture, repeatedly referenced through fashion, advertising, photography and countless recreations over the decades.

Sweeney also turned to another iconic Monroe image when she appeared at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, drawing inspiration from Monroe's 1952 LIFE magazine cover. These choices suggest that the comparison between the two women does not come entirely from the audience. Sweeney has deliberately incorporated familiar visual references associated with Monroe, creating a dialogue with Hollywood history, while the media and fans have continued to reinforce the comparison by placing the two actresses side by side.

One film that reflected that ambition was The Misfits in 1961, a project written by Arthur Miller specifically for Monroe. The film represented another stage in her career, as the glamorous image of the movie star gave way to a character with greater emotional depth and vulnerability. At the same time, Monroe's private life remained under intense media scrutiny. She was married to James Dougherty, Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, while her marriages, romantic relationships and personal struggles repeatedly became subjects of public fascination.

Monroe died in August 1962 at the age of 36, leaving behind one of the most complex legacies in Hollywood history. Her death, along with decades of speculation and debate surrounding the circumstances, only deepened the mythology surrounding her. More than six decades later, Monroe's name continues to appear in discussions about fashion, cinema, femininity, fame and the price of becoming a cultural icon.

Sydney Sweeney entered Hollywood in a completely different era. Born in 1997, the actress began working at a young age and appeared in a number of television projects before achieving her breakthrough with Euphoria. Her portrayal of Cassie Howard brought her international attention and established her as one of the most prominent young actresses of her generation. Her ability to portray a character who is vulnerable yet deeply complicated allowed her to attract attention not only for her appearance but increasingly for her acting abilities.

Following Euphoria, Sweeney expanded her career with projects including The White Lotus, Anyone but You and Immaculate. Anyone but You, in particular, helped strengthen her position as a box-office star after the romantic comedy with Glen Powell generated significant international attention. The success moved Sweeney from being a celebrated television actress toward becoming a commercially influential Hollywood name, while also placing her fashion choices and personal life under even greater scrutiny.

The Housemaid represents another notable step in Sweeney's evolving screen image. Her direct visual references to Marilyn Monroe during the film's promotional campaign made the connection between the two actresses even more compelling. If the comparison was once driven primarily by physical resemblance, Sweeney now appears to be deliberately using the visual language of classic Hollywood to shape her own public image in an industry that has long compared new stars with the icons who came before them.

Sweeney's personal life has also become a major subject of media attention, particularly amid speculation surrounding her relationships and marriage. She was publicly engaged to Jonathan Davino, but her private life has repeatedly come under intense scrutiny from the media and social media users. The attention surrounding her relationships reflects a familiar reality of modern Hollywood: for an actress at the height of her career, her public image can attract almost as much attention as the roles she takes on.

Interestingly, Sweeney and Monroe share another common thread beyond the comparisons surrounding their appearance: both women have had to contend with being defined by the public through their sexuality and glamour. Monroe was famously boxed into the “blonde bombshell” image, while Sweeney is also frequently discussed in the media for her beauty and fashion choices. Yet both careers suggest a desire to be seen as more than an appearance. Sweeney continues to pursue a range of roles, while Monroe spent much of her later career fighting to be recognized as a serious actress.

That is what makes the discovery surrounding Ezra Perry add another layer to the story. Looking only at photographs of the two women side by side, their connection could easily be dismissed as another product of Hollywood, where old images and archetypes are constantly recreated by new stars. MyHeritage's genealogical research, however, takes the story in a completely different direction — away from red carpets and famous dresses and back to a 17th-century settler in Massachusetts who lived hundreds of years before either actress was born.

Even so, the distance between the two women remains important. Being ninth cousins, once removed does not mean that Sweeney and Monroe had any meaningful family relationship during their lifetimes. It is an extremely distant connection on a family tree, and sharing an ancestor cannot prove that any physical characteristic or talent possessed by Sweeney was directly inherited from Monroe. Their similarities in style therefore remain primarily the result of Sweeney's deliberate choices and the way audiences interpret those choices.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of the story is precisely this coincidence. Sydney Sweeney had repeatedly turned to Marilyn Monroe as a source of fashion and visual inspiration before genealogical research revealed that the two women may actually share a point of connection in their family histories. What began as a comparison between two actresses from different eras has unexpectedly stretched back to the 17th century, where an English settler named Ezra Perry reportedly became the link between their family trees.

Marilyn Monroe has been gone for more than six decades, yet her image continues to be revisited by generations of artists. Sydney Sweeney, meanwhile, is building her own path in Hollywood through increasingly diverse roles and visual choices that are gradually separating her from the comparisons that first surrounded her. If the genealogical connection identified by MyHeritage is ultimately supported by the complete documentary evidence, it would be an especially intriguing detail in the stories of both actresses. For now, what is certain is that Sweeney is not simply revisiting a Hollywood icon through fashion; she may have unexpectedly discovered a genuine historical thread connecting her to the woman who helped define the face of 20th-century Hollywood.