NEED TO KNOW
- Sydney Sweeney opened up about the public’s perception of her, explaining that she’s not bothered by what others think
- In an interview with GQ, the actress addressed the controversy surrounding her American Eagle campaign, adding that she’s not “affected” by rumors about her beliefs
- “I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear,” she added
Sydney Sweeney won’t be defined by other people’s opinions of her.
In recent months, the 28-year-old Christy actress has been swept up in controversy over speculation about her political beliefs and criticisms surrounding an ad campaign she starred in for American Eagle.
However, while speaking with GQ for an interview published on Tuesday, Nov. 4, Sweeney made it clear that she is not concerned about being universally liked.
During the conversation, the actress and producer was asked if she worried the controversies would stop people from seeing her new movie, Christy, a biopic about boxing star Christy Martin.
Sydney Sweeney.
Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty
“I think that if somebody is closed off because of something they read online to a powerful story like Christy, then I hope that something else can open their eyes to being open to art and being open to learning, and I’m not going to be affected by that,” she responded.
Elsewhere in the interview, Sweeney addressed the backlash to the American Eagle ad campaign, which was accused of promoting eugenics — “use of selective breeding to improve the human race,” according to the National Institute of Health — for its use of the word “jeans” to stand in for “genes.”
The campaign itself was titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
“I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life,” the Euphoria star said when asked specifically about the blowback.
She referred to support from President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the aftermath of the ad’s release as being “surreal.”
However, she added that she didn’t necessarily feel “thankful” for the support, explaining, “It’s not that I didn’t have that feeling, but I wasn’t thinking of it like that, of any of it.”
Sydney Sweeney.
Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty
“I kind of just put my phone away. I was filming every day. I’m filming Euphoria, so I’m working 16-hour days and I don’t really bring my phone on set, so I work and then I go home and I go to sleep. So I didn’t really see a lot of it,” she said.
Sweeney opted out of providing a statement about the allegations of “genetic superiority” in the ad, saying, “I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”
She did comment on reports that American Eagle’s stock went up, explaining that she was “aware” of the company’s growth after her campaign.
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“So when I saw all the headlines of in-store visits were down a certain percentage, none of it was true. It was all made up, but nobody could say anything because [the company was] in their quiet period. So it was all just a lot of talk. And because I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans, it didn’t affect me one way or the other,” she said.
Asked if she’s ever tempted to draft an official statement or Notes app message, Sweeney said she doesn’t take it further than “[venting] to my girlfriends.”
“I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I’m a kind person. I know that I love a lot, and I know that I’m just excited to see what happens next. And so I don’t really let other people define who I am,” she said.
Christy is in theaters Friday.
