Sydney Sweeney & Glen Powell Admitted They Leaned Into Those Dating Rumors
These two marketing geniuses.
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell are finally ready to pop their romance bubble. The Anyone But You co-stars found themselves in what could have been a tricky situation in early 2023 when the internet became convinced they were having an affair on the set of their rom-com. But instead of shutting down the rumors, Sweeney and Powell can now freely admit they stoked the fires even more in order to drum up interest in their movie. And sure enough, it worked.
The actors came clean in an April 23 New York Times interview, the day Anyone But You dropped on Netflix. “The two things that you have to sell a rom-com are fun and chemistry,” Powell said. “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.”
While Sweeney has been engaged to fiancé Jonathan Davino since 2022, rumors about Powell and Sweeney potentially getting too close heated up during filming after Powell broke up with his then-girlfriend Gigi Paris. Once the two stars caught wind of the gossip about them, Sweeney (who was also an executive producer on the movie) was apparently instrumental in turning it into their new marketing strategy.
“I was on every call. I was in text group chats. I was probably keeping everybody over at Sony marketing and distribution awake at night because I couldn’t stop with ideas,” Sweeney said. “I wanted to make sure that we were actively having a conversation with the audience as we were promoting this film, because at the end of the day, they’re the ones who created the entire narrative.”
The strategy was undoubtedly a success, as fans fixated on this imagined behind-the-scenes hookup all throughout Anyone But You’s press cycle, culminating in a box office-smashing release. The movie became the highest-grossing rom-com of the past five years, and the best-earning R-rated rom-com in nearly a decade. Clearly, a little flirting can lead to a big payout.
