If you are among Sydney Sweeney’s millions of followers on social media, you may have recently seen her high-profile campaigns. But veteran actor Kim Novak is not convinced the younger star is the right choice to portray her on screen.
In an interview with The Sunday Times of London, Novak, 93, criticized the casting of Sweeney in a planned biographical film about her life.
“Sydney Sweeney looks sexy all the time,” Novak said, adding that she “sticks out so much above the waist” and was “totally wrong” to play her.
Beyond Sweeney’s public image, the actor has built a varied career with roles ranging from HBO’s Euphoria to films portraying real-life figures. She is set to star in Scandalous, directed by Colman Domingo, which focuses on Novak’s relationship with entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., a romance that drew significant attention in the 1950s.
Novak, best known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, said she would not have approved the casting and expressed concern about how the relationship would be portrayed.
“I would never have approved,” she said.
She added that the connection between her and Davis Jr. was deeper than how it might be depicted.
“We had so much in common,” Novak said. “There’s no way it wouldn’t be a sexual relationship because Sydney Sweeney looks sexy all the time.”
According to the film’s description, the story centers on the secret relationship between Novak and Davis Jr., which was exposed in 1958. The two continued their relationship while publicly denying reports and maintaining other partnerships.
Sweeney has previously said she admires Novak and sees her story as relevant today, particularly in navigating public image and personal life under scrutiny.
Novak, reflecting on her own career, said she struggled with being defined by her appearance.
“It was such a handicap being called pretty,” she said. “They only wanted to look at you. To me, it was important to be heard.”