Glen Powell admits Sydney Sweeney affair rumors 'worked wonderfully' for 'Anyone But You'
"Anyone But You" star Glen Powell is admitting that all of the speculation last year over whether he and co-star Sydney Sweeney were having an affair was all a showmance.
"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," the "Top Gun: Maverick" actor, 35, told the New York Times in an article published Tuesday.
"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," he added. "Sydney is very smart."
In the film, loosely adapted from William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," Powell and Sweeney play ex-flames who begrudgingly reconnect at a wedding in Australia. When it debuted in the U.S. in December, "Anyone But You" was far from a box office hit with a reported $6 million in ticket sales over opening weekend.
Two months later, the Will Gluck-directed feature crossed the $200 million milestone in global ticket sales and became the highest-grossing R-rated romantic comedy since "Bridget Jones's Baby," released in 2016, according to Variety.
The film's success can be attributed, in part, to Sony's social media marketing efforts and the leading couple stoking rumors and making headlines with steamy photos and flirty comments, which sparked speculation about a romance on set.
Both actors repeatedly denied the rumors: Sweeney is engaged to Jonathan Davino, and the two produced "Anyone But You" through her production company, Fifty-Fifty Films.
When she hosted "Saturday Night Live" last month, she addressed the "craziest rumor" in her monologue.
"That's obviously not true," Sweeney said of her rumored romance with Powell. "Me and my fiancé produced the movie together, and he was there the entire shoot. I just want to let everyone know that he's the man of my dreams, and we're still together and stronger than ever."
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She added that her fiancé was at "SNL" to support her, only to feign surprise as the camera cut to Powell sitting in the audience. "No, that's not my fiancé," she said. "He's in my dressing room!"
Sweeney also detailed how involved she was in marketing the rom-com in the New York Times piece, explaining that she "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."
The "Euphoria" star, 26, said she was the force behind a clip the studio shared on social media of her and Powell doing ASMR pick-up lines. It garnered 24.5 million views on TikTok and became one of @anyonebutyoumovie's most-watched videos.
Contributing: Patrick Ryan and Brendan Morris
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Glen Powell says Sydney Sweeney affair rumors helped 'Anyone But You'
