One year after Hollywood producer said Sydney Sweeney is 'not pretty' and 'can't act', the actress appears to take subtle swipe at detractors

Daily Mail​

01-06-2025

Sydney Sweeney, who was last year derided by a prominent female Hollywood producer for both her looks and her acting abilities, appears to have taken a subtle swipe at her detractor.
The Anyone But You actress, 27, was publicly mocked by Carol Baum, whose films include Father of the Bride and Dead Ringers, on a New York stage in April 2024.
Baum was in conversation with New York Times film critic Janet Maslin when she said the Euphoria star was 'not pretty' and 'can't act', while also labelling Sweeney's 2023 romcom 'unwatchable'.
She later made a dramatic U-turn, however, saying that is isn't her style to be 'c**ping on an actor like that in public'.
A spokesperson for Sweeney responded swiftly at the time, branding Baum 'shameful' for choosing to 'attack another woman', while the star's fans said it was an example of 'internal misogyny'.
And, in an interview with The Times yesterday - published just over a year on from the debacle - Sweeney said: 'It's the women who give me the hardest time.'
Sweeney neither named Baum nor referred directly to the shocking episode - but the comment nevertheless returned attention to Baum's very personal attack.
The actress, who founded the production company Fifty-Fifty Films in 2020, suggested that people tend to assume she's less involved than she is.
Sweeney told The Times: 'I have to be like, I want to be in the room, I want to sit in every single meeting and want to be involved in every decision, I want to be taken seriously as a producer.'
She explained that she had learnt to be 'very direct' and 'very blunt' before adding: 'To be honest, actually, I always find that it's the women who give me the hardest time.'
Last April, in the aftermath of Baum's criticisms, a representative for Sweeney told MailOnline: 'How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman.
'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.'
Baum was speaking with Maslin before an audience of fans when she made the comments following a screening of her 1988 film Dead Ringers starring Jeremy Irons.
'She's not pretty, she can't act,' said Baum, who later admitted that she had been inundated with hate mail from Sweeney's fans.
'There's an actress who everybody loves now – Sydney Sweeney. I don't get Sydney Sweeney.'
Addressing her romcom Anything But You, in which she stars alongside Glen Powell, Baum continued: 'I was watching on the plane Sydney Sweeney's movie because I wanted to watch it.
'I wanted to know who she is and why everybody's talking about her. I watched this unwatchable movie – sorry to people who love this movie – [this] romantic comedy where they hate each other.'
Referencing the producing class she teaches at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Baum added: '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 but then the question was asked, 'Well if you could get your movie made because she was in it, would you do it?'
'I said, "well that's a really good question...that's a very hard question to answer because we all want to get the movie made and who walks away from a green light? Nobody I know. Your job is to get the movie made.'
In yesterday's wide-ranging interview with The Times, Sweeney belatedly clarified the status of her relationship with fellow producer Jonathan Davino.
The actress, who was seen without her engagement ring in February, came clean about the breakup when asked if she was planning a wedding.
'No,' was the answer. She answered 'yes,' when asked if she was single, adding: 'I'm learning a lot about myself, spending more time with my friends. And I'm loving it.'
She and Davino, 41, had been together since 2018 and got engaged in 2022.
He was a producer on her successful romcom, Anyone But You, co-starring Glen Powell.
She and the 36-year-old Texan had such chemistry in the film that many wondered if they were a couple at the time - especially since they decided to lean into the spark while promoting the movie.
'Glenn and I adore each other, so I think we were so happy for the reception of the film,' she said, seeming to shut down any idea of a love connection.
'When you spend so much time with someone, you become close and you talk to each other about anything.
'So work, life, family, friends, he's just there for me. I'm there for him.'
For now, Sweeney is happy to share snuggles and go on outdoor activities with her dogs Sully Bear and Tank, work on restoring vintage cars, and create a real estate empire.
She already owns multi-million dollar homes in Los Angeles, South Florida and the Pacific Northwest.
'I'm obsessed with [property website] Zillow,' she explained.
'I'm learning a lot about myself, spending more time with my friends. And I'm loving it,' she told the outlet; Pictured with stylist Gigi Vittoria
'Right now I'm looking at New York, looking at Montana. Maine. Rhode Island. Texas, Italy, London — everywhere.'
As she promotes Echo Valley, a mother-daughter drama co-starring Oscar winner Julianne Moore, the actress recognized a need to step away from working so much.
'I have to prove myself as a young woman, as an actor, as a businessperson — all of it,' she told the outlet.
Regarding slowing down, The Handmaid's Tale actress said, 'I hear it more from my family than myself [they say] "Sydney, you're going to burn out. Sydney, you need to slow down. Sydney, you need to take a break".'
Echo Valley debuts on Apple TV+ on June 13.