It's always a good idea to keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them later!
After gaining attention thanks to Emmy Award-nominated performances in TV shows Euphoria and The White Lotus, Sydney Sweeney has gone on to become one of the most highly sought-after young actors in Hollywood.
The 26-year-old Madame Web star has three hit movies (well, two) currently either in theaters or on streaming, as well as several major projects in the pipeline, including a remake of cult sci-fi comedy Barbarella.
It seems not everyone has been won over, however.
Veteran producer Carol Baum, who has worked on numerous films over the years including The Shining, Dead Ringers, Shining Through and The Good Girl, took an uncalled-for shot at Sweeney during a recent post-screening discussion (via Page Six).
“I don’t get Sydney Sweeney,” Baum reportedly said at the Jacob Burns Center in Pleasantville, NY, after seeing the "unwatchable" Anyone But You on a plane. “I wanted to know who she is and why everybody’s talking about her."
Baum went on to reveal that she asked her students at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts if they could explain Sweeney's popularity.
“I said to my class, ‘Explain this girl to me. She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?' Nobody had an answer.”
Admittedly, Anyone But You is probably not the best showcase for Sweeney's acting chops, but Baum probably should have checked out some of her other performances before drawing these conclusions. While she's obviously entitled to her opinion, we can't see a producer saying these type of things about one of tinsel town's most in-demand actors going particularly well for her career!
What do you make of Baum's assessment of Sweeney? Drop us a comment down below.
Jonathan Davino for Fifty-Fifty Films produced with Sweeney, alongside Middle Child Pictures’ David Bernad, who developed the project with the actress following their work together on The White Lotus. Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler produced for Black Bear, which fully financed and represented the international sales rights. Black Bear’s John Friedberg and Christopher Casanova served as executive producers, alongside Will Greenfield.
Immaculate marks the second recent collaboration with Neon and Black Bear after Michael Mann’s Ferrari, which hit theaters Christmas Day. Neon’s 2024 slate also includes Sean Baker’s new romantic drama Anora and Pamela Adlon’s directorial debut, Babes, starring Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau.
Directed by Michael Mohan and written by Andrew Lobel, Immaculate also stars Alvaro Morte (Money Heist), Benedetta Porcaroli (Baby), and Dora Romano (The Hand of God).