Sydney Sweeney hits back at “shameful” producer who said she “can’t act”
Sydney Sweeney is a star whose career continues to be on the rise, with the actor taking it upon herself to expand her horizons, broaden her portfolio, and ensure that she becomes a Hollywood mainstay.
First gaining attention for her role as Eden Spencer in The Handmaid’s Tale, Sweeney gained widespread prominence for her performances in HBO hits Euphoria and The White Lotus, earning ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress’ nominations at the Primetime Emmys for both roles.
Segueing into features, she worked with Quentin Tarantino on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and won strong notices for her understated dramatic turn in biographical drama Reality. Furthermore, she executive produced and played one of the two leads opposite Glen Powell in Anyone but You (the highest-grossing live-action Shakespeare adaptation ever made), and steered Immaculate to the big screen.
Admittedly, she was in Madame Web and there’s no way of defending that in terms of quality, but Sweeney viewed it as a business decision that worked wonders for her in a professional capacity when it ingratiated her with the Sony top brass, who subsequently took the distribution rights to Anyone but You and will back her upcoming remake of Barbarella.
Sweeney is a talented performer and clearly has a savvy business mind, too, and at the age of only 26, she’s got her eyes set firmly on longevity. However, veteran producer Carol Baum isn’t a fan, taking it upon herself to declare the star as “not pretty” and someone who “can’t act.” It was a verbal assault that came right out of the blue, with Sweeney responding via her representatives.
“How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman,” a representative for Sweeney shared with Variety. “If that’s what she’s learned in her decades in the industry and feels is appropriate to teach to her students, that’s shameful. To unjustly disparage a fellow female producer speaks volumes about Ms. Baum’s character.”
There was absolutely no need for Baum to place Sweeney in the crosshairs for little other reason than the fact she found Anyone but You to be “unwatchable”. However, the rebuttal was handled with the requisite grace and poise that underlines the wise head upon young shoulders, which stands her in good stead for a long and successful career.
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