“Sydney is very smart”: Glen Powell Claims Sydney Sweeney Was the Mastermind Behind Anyone But You Marketing That Involved Weeks Long Affair Rumors
Remember Anyone But You, the raunchy romantic comedy that came out last year? While the December release only garnered a modest $6 million opening weekend, by February, it had skyrocketed to a global gross of over $200 million (via The Numbers). That made it the highest-earning R-rated romantic comedy since Bridget Jones’s Baby in 2016.
But the secret to its success might surprise you. Its success is thanks to a clever social media strategy and a skillfully crafted rumor mill. The film’s lead stars (Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell) cooked up a fake romance to get people talking, and it worked like a charm!
Glen Powell Admits Romance Rumors Boosted Anyone But You‘s Popularity
Stars Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, who played on-again-off-again flames in the film, fueled speculation of a real-life romance throughout the film’s promotion. Their steamy photoshoots, flirty interviews, and social media banter had fans convinced there was more to the story.
Both actors repeatedly denied the rumors, with Sweeney even addressing them in her Saturday Night Live monologue, jokingly “revealing” Powell isn’t her real fiancé. However, in a recent interview with the New York Times, the Top Gun: Maverick star admitted that it was the marketing strategy that really worked well. He said:
“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… Sometimes you just have to lean into it a bit. 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.”
The 26-year-old actress is actually engaged to Jonathan Davino. Plus, she and Davino produced Anyone But You together through her production company, Fifty-Fifty Films.
Sydney Sweeney is More Than Just an Actress, She is a Marketing Genius
On top of her starring role, Sydney Sweeney was a big player in the film’s marketing. With her already strong presence on social media, she used her platform to boost the movie. However, her influence extended beyond simple posts.
She described in the same interview being “on every call, in text group chats” with the studio’s marketing team, constantly brainstorming ideas. One of her ideas was an ASMR pick-up line video with her and Powell. It blew up, getting millions of views on TikTok and becoming one of the biggest social media hits.
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell doing ASMR pickup lines pic.twitter.com/l4vFXJEhhu
— X-Tok (@X_tik_tok) November 23, 2023
All that chatter and the ongoing ‘are they or aren’t they’ drama around the actors kept people talking and interested in the movie. Even though it didn’t have a blockbuster start, the continued excitement around it kept Anyone But You in the spotlight.
Anyone But You is available to stream on Apple TV.
