Sydney Sweeney attends the 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Sydney Sweeney claps back at Carol Baum, the film producer who called her “not pretty” and “cannot act,” saying that receiving such remarks from a fellow woman is “sad” and “shameful.”
In a statement released by USA Today, a representative for Sweeney addressed the criticism and labeled it as an “attack on another woman.”
“How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman,” the representative 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,” Sweeney’s camp further said.
On April 16, the Daily Mail UK reported that Baum told a New York Times critic Janet Maslin that she watched Sweeney’s latest romantic comedy hit “Anyone But You” opposite Glen Powell, and questioned her viability as an actress.
“I said to my class, ‘Explain this girl to me. She’s not pretty. She can’t act. Why is she so hot?’” said the professor, according to Daily Mail.
After the film producer’s remark went viral, other executives, including Teddy Schwarzman who worked with Sweeney for the horror movie “Immaculate” came to the defense of the actress.
“I’ll enlighten Ms. Baum that two-time Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney is not only one of the most talented actresses I’ve worked with, but also incredibly smart, kind and humble,” Schwarzman wrote on X.
“I’m not sure why someone who claims to still be a producer would make such terribly ugly comments, but I can assure everyone that Sydney is at least beautiful on the inside,” he added.
As a producer of #Immaculate, I’ll enlighten Ms. Baum that two-time Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney is not only one of the most talented actresses I’ve worked with, but also incredibly smart, kind and humble. I’m not sure why someone who claims to still be a producer would make such…
— Teddy Schwarzman (@tschwarzman) April 17, 2024
After Sweeney camp’s statement, TMZ reported that Baum expressed her regret wishing she never said the words as making such comments on actors “isn’t her style.”
Baum is known for her work in “Father of the Bride” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
While Sweeney rose to fame for her role in “Euphoria” and the “White Lotus.” She recently made her Marvel debut with “Madame Web.”