Sydney Sweeney caught a stray last week when veteran Hollywood producer Carol Baum said at an event that Sweeney is “not pretty” and “can’t act” — and that her hit rom-com “Anyone but You” was “unwatchable.”
A representative for Sweeney has now fired back at Baum, saying in a statement shared with Variety: “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, a longtime Hollywood producer and executive behind films including “Dead Ringers,” “Father of the Bride” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” made the disparaging comments about Sweeney during a discussion in Pleasantville, N.Y., with New York Times film critic Janet Maslin. According to the Daily Mail, Baum said, “There’s an actress who everybody loves now: Sydney Sweeney. I don’t get Sydney Sweeney. I was watching on the plane Sydney Sweeney’s movie [‘Anyone but You’] 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 … romantic comedy where they hate each other.”
A representative for Baum did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment, but TMZ reported Wednesday that the producer is “already expressing regret over the whole thing” and “wishes she never would’ve made her original comments.”
As for Sweeney, the “Euphoria” and “White Lotus” breakout star is on a hot streak, producing and starring in her indie horror film “Immaculate” right on the heels of her “Anyone but You” success. That film — which she executive produced — was a surprise hit, raking in $218 million worldwide.