Sydney Sweeney has hit back at a Hollywood producer's "sad" and "shameful" comments criticizing her acting and appearance.
The 26-year-old actor, known for her roles in "White Lotus" and "Euphoria," has carved a successful career for herself and continues her rise to prominence having recently produced and starred in the independent horror film "Immaculate," one of three feature films she has released in the past six months.
However, the Emmy-nominated star faced negative attention from producer Carol Baum, who questioned her appeal at a film screening, saying, "She's not pretty, she can't act. Why is she so hot?" according to Daily Mail.
A representative for Sweeney has now fired back at Baum in a statement to Variety.
"How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman," the rep said. "If that's what she's learned in her decades in the industry and feels is appropriate to teach to her students, that's shameful. To unjustly disparage a fellow female producer speaks volumes about Ms. Baum's character."
The veteran producer, known for her work on films such as "Dead Ringers," "Father of the Bride," and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," made her disparaging remarks during a recent discussion in Pleasantville, N.Y., with New York Times film critic Janet Maslin.
"There's an actress who everybody loves now: Sydney Sweeney. I don't get Sydney Sweeney. I was watching on the plane Sydney Sweeney's movie ['Anyone but You'] because I wanted to watch it. I wanted to know who she is and why everybody's talking about her," she said. "I watched this unwatchable movie — sorry to people who love this … romantic comedy where they hate each other."
Baum, an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California, continued: "I said to my class, 'Explain this girl to me. She's not pretty, she can't act. Why is she so hot?' Nobody had an answer. But then the question was asked, 'Well, if you could get your movie made because she was in it, would you do it?' … That's a very hard question to answer because we all want to get the movie made and who walks away from a green light? Nobody I know. Your job is to get the movie made."
TMZ reported Wednesday that Baum is "already expressing regret over the whole thing" and "wishes she never would've made her original comments."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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