Glen Powell is giving credit where credit is due regarding his Anyone But You co-star Sydney Sweeney.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, the actor praised the Euphoria star for the role she played in the movie’s marketing strategy to help it become a rom-com genre hit. Sweeney also served as an executive producer on the project.
“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,” Powell explained. “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. Sydney is very smart.”
Anyone But You‘s marketing campaign, which heavily contributed to its box office success, included romantic photos of the film’s leads, longing gazes between the duo on red carpets, flirtatious moments in interviews and viral TikTok videos.
Powell and his long-term girlfriend reportedly splitting during the film’s press tour also contributed to romance rumors swirling on social media between the pair, even though Sweeney has remained engaged to Jonathan Davino, who’s also an executive producer on the movie.
“I 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,” Sweeney shared. “I wanted to make sure that we were actively having a conversation with the audience as we were promoting this film, because at the end of the day, they’re the ones who created the entire narrative.”
The Will Gluck-directed film, loosely based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, follows Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell), whose attraction for each other turns ice-cold after one night ends badly. However, when they’re unexpectedly reunited at a wedding in Australia, they decide to pretend to be a couple.
While Anyone But You has not only become the highest-grossing romantic comedy in years, earning more than $200 million worldwide, the film also helped with the so-called rom-com revival, hopefully paving the way for future films.
“You’ve got to get the ingredients in the meal just right: the story, the cast, the filmmakers, the chemistry, the ending,” Tom Rothman, chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, who also oversees Columbia, said of finding success within the rom-com movie genre, adding that it “is a delicate task. So, if you’re going to make one and go for it theatrically, it better be good.”
