Sydney Sweeney is an actress who is pursuing her career.

The 24-year-old recalls wanting to perform “even before I knew exactly what acting was.” She is highlighted in PEOPLE’s 2021 Ones to Watch package in this week’s issue.

“I grew up with imaginary friends and imaginary worlds,” she relates. “And I think when I realized that TV shows and movies were basically these imaginary worlds brought to life, and that [that was] a job I could do, I begged my parents nonstop [to help me make it happen].”

Though Sweeney, who was up in Spokane, Washington, acknowledges that the road to Hollywood was “difficult,”

“[My parents] thought it was simply a storybook, a dream. It wasn’t a material item, she remembers. “We lacked the necessary relationships. We lacked the necessary funds, in whole, to execute such an undertaking. My parents genuinely made a ton of sacrifices so that they could help me pursue my goals.”

Around the age of 13, driven to succeed, Sweeney made a formal proposition to her parents.

“I created a five-year business plan presentation of what could happen if they let me start auditioning for movies,” she explains. “I was like, ‘How can I communicate to them on a level that they’ll take me seriously and they’ll understand?’”

“I believe they thought, ‘Whoa, this woman is serious, and she won’t stop talking about it.’” Thus, they permitted me to [do it],” she goes on. “We began traveling to Seattle by car and producing short films and independent projects. And from then on, it got really big.”

They would drive to the city for auditions since they couldn’t afford plane tickets, and then they would return home the following day.

“We didn’t have to spend money on a hotel — just gas,” she explains. And we occasionally carried that out twice a month. It was absurd. It’s around a 19- or 20-hour drive.

Sharing her current success is all the more sweeter because her parents struggled at first before eventually agreeing to come to Los Angeles. Sweeney eventually secured two TV roles, Everything Sucks! and Sharp Objects, which catapulted her to fame, despite taking a little longer than the five-year plan stipulated.

She went on to land roles in Euphoria, The White Lotus, and The Handmaid’s Tale. After that, she and Halsey will co-produce and act in The Players Table on HBO Max.

Sweeney attributes her success to her family, referring to her mother Lisa as her “biggest role model.”

“This is my dream finally coming true,” the Hollywood actress from Once Upon a Time adds. It’s incredible. I flew my grandmother to Paris Fashion Week, where she was able to attend a fashion show and sit in the front row. I also wanted to be able to bring them on set or to red carpet events.”