Sydney Sweeney 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards

Sydney Sweeney Fires Back At 'Shameful' Hollywood Producer Who Said She 'Isn't Pretty' & 'Can't Act'

Home / Entertainment / Sydney Sweeney Fires Back At 'Shameful' Hollywood Producer Who Said She 'Isn't Pretty' & 'Can't Act'

By Favour Adegoke on April 17, 2024 at 4:15 PM EDT
Updated on April 17, 2024 at 4:34 PM EDT

Sydney Sweeney has registered her displeasure over Carol Baum's recent scathing remarks about her looks and acting prowess.

Sweeney's rep Baum's disparaging remarks about the actress as "shameful," going on to question the Hollywood producer's character for attacking a fellow woman like that.

Baum had earlier questioned the rave surrounding Sweeney, saying that she "isn't pretty" and "can't act." She also tagged Sweeney's recently released romcom, "Anyone But You," as "unwatchable."

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Sydney Sweeney Blasts Hollywood Producer Carol Baum

Sydney Sweeney Fires Back At Top Hollywood Producer Who Said She 'Isn't Pretty' & 'Can't Act'
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The "Euphoria" star has seemingly weighed in on Baum's comments about her, calling the producer's actions "shameful."

According to TMZ, a rep for Sweeney called Baum out, saying, "How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman."

"If tearing down another woman is what Carol has learned during her decades in the business, and she feels it appropriate to pass that on to her students, then that's truly shameful," the rep added. "To unjustly disparage a fellow female producer speaks volumes about Ms Baum's character."

Other Hollywood hotshots also defended Sweeney, as producer Teddy Schwarzman, who worked with the actress on "Immaculate," emphasized how talented she is and added that she is "incredibly smart, kind and humble."

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Carol Baum Expresses Regrets Over Her Comments

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According to the news outlet, Baum is starting to regret her critique of Sweeney and is seemingly sorry for it.

The Hollywood producer, whose work includes "Father of the Bride" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," noted that making such comments about an actor isn't her style and that she wishes she never made them.

She went on to reveal that ever since her comments about Sweeney went viral, she'd been receiving hate mail from fans of the "White Lotus" star.

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Carol Baum Called The Actress' New Film 'Unwatchable'

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The whole debacle began after Baum made a disparaging remark about Sweeney's looks and acting chops in a recent discussion at the screening of her 1988 film "Dead Ringers" with New York Times film critic Janet Maslin.

The event, which was held at the Jacob Burns Center in Pleasantville, N.Y., saw Baum brand Sweeney's new film, "Anyone But You," in which she stars alongside Glen Powell as "unwatchable."

She detailed how she decided to watch the film on a plane following the Hollywood buzz surrounding Sweeney 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.

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"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."

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Carol Baum Said Sydney Sweeney 'Isn't Pretty' & 'Can't Act'

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Elsewhere in her conversation with Maslin, she narrated a particular instance where she tried to inquire about her students' opinions on why Sweeney had become so popular.

The film producer, who lectures students on production at The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, recounted a conversation where she pressed to see if her students could explain 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, per Daily Mail.

The event moderator, Janet Maslin, also confirmed Baum's remarks on X 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.

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The Hollywood Producer Is Down To Work With Sydney Sweeney

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Baum shockingly admitted that she wouldn't turn down a chance to work with Sweeney if need be.

She disclosed that after her students seemingly couldn't come up with an explanation for Sweeney's Hollywood buzz, she was asked if she would like to work with the 26-year-old actress.

"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."

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