Earlier this spring, it seemed like almost every day that a new steamy photo of Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney would hit the press. And while the pair were filming rom-com Anyone But You the snaps caused snoops to question whether they were involved in an off-screen romance (which would have been quite the scandal given both were in existing relationships at the time).
However, the joke seems to be on us. In a new interview with Variety, Sweeney clarified her relationship with her co-star, reiterating that their relationship is strictly professional.
“It’s a rom-com, that’s what people want!” she said. “Glen and I don’t really care. We have so much fun together, and we respect each other so much; he’s such a hard worker, and I’m a hard worker. We’re excited for the press tour, and I literally just left ADR with him. We talk all the time like, ‘That’s really funny.’”
Sweeney certainly leaned into the tabloid gossip—she was spotted without her engagement ring for almost a year. But she became used to the rumors, and “didn’t emotionally internalize it,” according to the film’s director Will Gluck.
Stars fueling romance rumors while on set is nothing new; Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde on Don’t Worry Darling, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga during A Star Is Born, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds on Green Lantern. But Sweeney and Powell’s could-be romance caused such an interest because they were both linked to other people (who knew that only a few months later, Ariana Grande would find herself in a similar sticky situation?).
Powell has been involved with model Gigi Paris since 2020 and Sweeney got engaged to restaurateur Jonathan Davino in 2022 (though their relationship has been fairly hush hush). If that wasn’t enough, Paris reportedly unfollowed Sweeney on Instagram amidst the drama, causing fans to speculate that the co-star’s on-screen romance was having off screen implications.
Now, we know that we were played. Or, part of a very strategic marketing campaign. Probably the latter, according to Sweeney. “They want it,” she said. “It’s fun to give it to ’em.”