Hollywood Producer Calls Out Sydney Sweeney, Says Actress 'Isn't Pretty' & 'Can't Act'

Top Hollywood producer Carol Baum has slammed actress Sydney Sweeney following the release of her hit film "Anyone But You."

Baum said that Sweeney "isn't pretty" and that she "can't act," going on to question why the two-time Emmy-nominated actress' career had taken off.

Baum, who declared that Sweeney's new film is "unwatchable," however admitted that she wouldn't pass up a chance to take on a project if Sweeney starred in it.

During a recently held discussion at a screening of her 1988 film "Dead Ringers," Baum shared a scathing opinion about the "Euphoria" star, saying she "isn't pretty" and "can't act," per the Daily Mail.

The event, which was held at the Jacob Burns Center in Pleasantville, N.Y., saw Baum hold nothing back in her conversation with New York Times film critic Janet Maslin, even slamming Sweeney's new project as "unwatchable."

Baum, whose work includes "Father of the Bride" and "Shining Through," detailed how she decided to watch Sweeney's "Anyone But You" following the buzz around her recently but was seemingly left disappointed.

"I wanted to know who she is and why everybody's talking about her," she told Maslin and her audience.

"I watched this unwatchable movie- sorry to people who love this movie  - [this] romantic comedy where they hate each other," Baum shared, referencing "Anyone But You."

Baum went on to detail a scenario in which she tried to inquire about her students' opinions about why Sweeney was being talked about.

The film producer lectures students on production at The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and recounted a conversation where she pressed to see if her students could come up with an explanation about Sweeney's proficiency.

"I said to my class, 'Explain this girl to me. She's not pretty, she can't act. Why is she so hot?''' she shared.

The event moderator, Janet Maslin, confirmed Baum's heavy remarks following the screening.

"It IS unwatchable. Carol Baum said this after we screened 'Dead Ringers' at the Jacob Burns Film Center and she mentioned having seen 'Anyone But You' on a plane. But 'Dead Ringers,' b/o a book Baum optioned 10 years before David Cronenberg adapted it, gets better and better," Maslin wrote on X.

According to the Daily Mail, despite criticizing Sweeney, Baum admitted that she wouldn't turn down an offer to work on a movie that stars the 26-year-old beauty.

She disclosed that after her students seemingly couldn't come up with an explanation for Sweeney's Hollywood buzz, a question was asked as to know if she would relish working with the actress by any chance.

"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?'" Baum shared.

She continued, "I said, 'Well that's a really good question...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."

Some fans disagreed with Baum's assessment of Sweeney's beauty and acting skills, taking to social media to share their reactions.

A fan noted that Sweeney was "fantastic in both 'Euphoria' and The 'White Lotus,'" with Maslin agreeing with the latter but saying she hadn't "seen" the former yet.

Another fan agreed that Sweeney's "Anyone But You" is "totally unwatchable" but said that the actress "is pretty."

"I thought Glen Powell made 'Anyone But You' somewhat bearable," one fan stated. "I hope lots of people see Powell in 'Hit Man,' which is a much better comedy and borderline rom-com. Sweeney's acting isn't good in Anyone But You but she is supposedly better in Immaculate."

"I beg to differ with Baum's scathing remarks. Sweeney did good in Euphoria and The White Lotus imo," another person wrote. "Maybe there's room for improvement but you can't write her off that way altogether."

Sweeney's physical attributes have been a topic of conversation recently, and the actress has stated that she is unsure of how to approach the matter as it has become politicized.

In an interview with Variety, Sweeney said, "I see it, and I just can't allow myself to have a reaction. I don't know how to explain it—I'm still trying to figure it out myself."

She added, "People feel connected and free to be able to speak about me in whatever way they want, because they believe that I've signed my life away. That I'm not on a human level anymore, because I'm an actor."

During a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress expressed the same sentiment: "People forget that I'm playing a character. They think: 'Oh, she gets naked on screen, she's a sex symbol.' And I can't get past that."