It's like something out of a fairytale. Or a dream. Or, uh, a romantic comedy.
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, two very hot, charismatic, soon-to-be A-list movie stars, meeting on the set of their new film and falling for each other, or at least just really enjoying each other's company.
The pair are currently promoting Anyone But You, a new – you guessed it! – rom-com with an enemies-to-lovers plot line, and no one can stop talking about their 'chemistry'. They have great banter and take cute photos and did I mention they're really hot?
Yes, we do need to ignore the fact that when this all kicked off, both were in relationships. Because in the eyes of the public, watching on via Instagram posts and tabloid headlines, it seemed like a match made in heaven.
Watch: Speaking of flirty co-stars... Post continues below video.
Because that has been the point.
They're marketing a ROM-COM, pals.
I hate to burst the fun gossip bubble, or put a pin in your outrage, but this has always had the hallmarks of actors doing what they do best. Acting.
Anyone But You wrapped filming in Sydney – the city, not the person – earlier in 2023, after weeks of set images gracing the homepages of entertainment sites and social media content from the cast.
With each new image, whether it was of the pair filming on a boat or enjoying a day off at the zoo, speculation that the lead actors' relationship was more than just professional ramped up.
On April 24, Sweeney and Powell attended CinemaCon, a major event on the industry calendar where studios unveil details on their upcoming, must-see box office features, to promote their film.
At the event, their (flirty) rapport continued.
"We love seeing ourselves on the big screen," Powell joked as they walked on stage.
"Oh please, Top Gun," Sweeney said with playful sarcasm, in reference to his role in Top Gun: Maverick.
"I love it when she calls me that," Powell responded.
Sweeney then insisted she thought he was his Maverick co-star Miles Teller until the fourth day of shooting.
"Sydney plays a character who's a real nightmare," Powell retorted.
"And Glen plays a character who's a real a**hole," she shot back. "His character is a real d**khead."
Their on-stage moment, which coincided with the film's title being announced, quickly became the biggest story of the conference, gracing homepages across the internet and inspiring multiple viral TikToks, all wondering the same thing: so are they cheating yes/no?
Sweeney is engaged to restauranteur Jonathan Davino, who she has been dating since at least 2018.
Powell had been in a relationship with model Gigi Paris since 2020. She visited him during filming in Australia in late March, but they broke up around the same time as CinemaCon, confirmed when she shared the most universally known response to a breakup: sharing Fleetwood Mac songs to social media.
All of this news, coupled with his (very) playful rapport with Sweeney, evolved into the perfect storm.
When it comes down to it, playing up the chemistry and flirting to promote a rom-com is a tried-and-true marketing technique, because a story about two Hollywood hotties getting together on set is the kind of gossip that keeps the world – and film industry – going.
It's mostly fine (fun, even!), if stars can successfully toe the line between 'super hot, are they/are they not?' chemistry and more grimy, 'they're seriously disrespecting their partners!' sleeze.
Remember the absolute furore that was Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born press tour? It was clearly PR. But it was GLORIOUS. So fun, so juicy.
Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, whose sizzling chemistry while promoting their miniseries Scenes from a Marriage, was also a masterclass. I mean, the arm sniff video? I still think about it weekly.
Then there's George Clooney and Julia Roberts, who have been fawning over each other for decades, always with a playful twinkle in their eye.
Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler! Ryan Gosling and... absolutely everyone, because no one does chemistry like Ryan Gosling. You get the point.
But things can go bad, and as Sweeney and Powell have picked promotion back up ahead of the film's Boxing Day release, they may have faux-flirted too close to the sun.
Appearing on the Today show in the US on December 12, the pair laughed in tandem and gazed at each other as they spoke.
Interviewer Hoda Kotb asked if they realised they had immediate chemistry, to which Sweeney replied with a simple "yeah".
Kotb then just asked them straight out: is there any romance there?
"No, no, but we do love each other, and honestly, this is one of the most spectacular humans I've ever met," Powell replied.
And it didn't go down well, with viewers immediately seeing the bubble burst. Any fun ambiguity was gone. Suddenly, everyone could see it for what it was: a promotional tactic.
They say no publicity is bad publicity, which is true for a studio hoping for a cinema hit.
So, they pivoted. Following the Today interview, and the change of the tide, Sweeney and Powell attended the Anyone But You premiere.
On the red carpet, Sweeney spoke about her wedding planning (which has not progressed very far, because she's a "workaholic"), and even working with her fiancé, who is also her partner in production company Fifty-Fifty Films, which helped produce the movie.
The timing is interesting, because neither Sweeney nor Davino have officially confirmed they're together, despite being together since at least 2018.
This was always meant to be selling a silly little rom-com with some silly little flirty promo, but it turns out, that's a risky game.
Feature image: Getty/Mamamia.
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