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Sydney Sweeney came clean with fans about the rumored affair with her co-star Glen Powell inAnyone But You. Both stars admitted that they leaned into the rumors as part of a promotional strategy for the romantic comedy, with Sweeney, who is also a producer on the film saying that they gave enough for the audience to build the narrative on their own.
The strategy seemed to work asAnyone But Youwas a critical and commercial success, earning $220 million. However, it begged the question whether the on-screen couple would have admitted to the strategy had the film not been a success. It seemed to be a dangerous position for Sweeney herself as she was engaged to Jonathan Davino.
Sydney Sweeney And Glen Powell Revealed The Strategy Behind Their Relationship Rumors
The most important recipe for success in a romantic comedy is the chemistry between the lead actors. The audience needs a couple that they can root for so when eventually the lead couple gets together, it feels cathartic. Be it Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan or Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, chemistry is important.
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Glen Powell andSydney Sweeney, the stars of last year’s biggest rom-comAnyone But Youknew about this open secret to success. They had chemistry but making the audiences believe that it was not just acted out for the camera would have led to far superior success and they hence, reportedly leaned into rumors about an on-set romance between them.
According toThe New York Times, Sweeney was responsible for many of the marketing decisions made by the studio for the film, including theviral ASMR TikTokand the relationship rumors. Powell said,
The two things that you have to sell a rom-com are fun and chemistry. Sydney and I have a ton of fun together, and we have a ton of effortless chemistry. That’s people wanting what’s on the screen off the screen, and sometimes you just have to lean into it a bit — and it worked wonderfully. Sydney is very smart.
The film turned out to be a monstrous hit, earning over $220 million at the box office against a $25 million budget (viaBox Office Mojo).
Would Sydney Sweeney Have Come Clean About Her Strategy IfAnyone But YouWas A Failure?
Sydney’s Sweeney’sAnyone But Youwas a surprise hit in a business climate where only superhero films and franchise films seem to work. The film’s success was seen as a resurgence of the rom-com genre and many hoped that it would lead Hollywood to produce more films in the genre (viaInsider).
While it seemed to be in good faith for Sweeney and starGlen Powellto reveal that they leaned into the romance rumors to promote the film, one wonders if they would have if the film was not such a huge success.
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Sweeney was asked the same in an interview withVanity Fairand she mentioned that she had to talk about it after constantly being asked,
Once it did become a success, a lot of the interviews were just questions about it, so I don’t know if we necessarily were planning on ever talking about the strategy behind any of it. We just had very specific questions and when you say no to a question, people think that you’re a b*tch, so.
The actress also made fun of the rumors during her monologue onSaturday Night Live, which also saw a cameo from Powell.
Anyone But Youis currently streaming on Netflix.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
