The line between reality and fiction becomes dangerously blurred when promoting a film in Holly Wood. Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell teamed up on the 2023 romantic comedy ”Anyone But You”.
The duo’s on-screen chemistry was palpable, spreading speculation about a possible off-screen romance. This was further fueled by Powell’s breakup with his then-girlfriend, Gigi Paris, and Sweeney’s noticeable absence of her engagement ring from fiancé Jonathan Davino.
Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney reveal they leaned into romance and affair rumors to market, ‘Anyone But You.’ PIC.TWITTER.COM/QGLMWY6TE9
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) APRIL 24, 2024
In a New York Times interview, Powell admitted that the rumors had some root. He stated,
“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.” He further added, “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 brilliant.”
Moreover, which is essential for this thesis, Sweeney was also one of the executive producers and participated actively in the movie’s promotion. For example, the girl shared some fan videos, which were highly reposted with Instagram Story. Also, a little promo video was published where the first movie’s line companions allegedly say the second one another pick-up inscriptions.
All this caused fans to worry more about the actress’s romantic relationship in real life. When asked about the film, Sweeney admitted: “I was on every call. I wanted to make sure that even when you’re promoting this movie, you still are. Because, at the end of the day, the audience creates the entire narrative”.
Powell admitted that they did help the narrative along. In behind-the-scenes interviews, he shared that filming the movie felt like a rom-com in itself because “Sydney is very easy to pretend fall in love with.” He also mentioned the challenges of filming a romantic comedy, where the ideas of love constantly swirl in your head, making it sometimes difficult to differentiate between real life and fake life.
Certainly, this is not the first time the stars played with people’s feelings and pretended that there was something between them to ignite the rumors of the off-set relationship. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper also fooled the public when they were filming “A Star Is Born.” Gaga, in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, stated, “Yes, people saw love, and guess what—that’s what we wanted you to see.”
In truth, it is worth noting that Powell and Sweeney were inspired by their colleagues in faux-romance. They tried to imitate to draw attention to their work. In my opinion, they managed to achieve this successfully.
