In a candid interview with Vanity Fair, Anyone But You star Sydney Sweeney has voiced her frustration with the so-called “women supporting women” culture in the film and TV industry, describing it as “fake.”
Known for her roles in Euphoria and White Lotus, Sweeney stated, “This entire industry, all people say is ‘women empowering other women.’ None of it’s happening. All of it is fake and a front for all the other [stuff] that they say behind everyone’s back.”
Sweeney’s remarks come after she responded to critical comments made earlier this year by Carol Baum, a female Hollywood producer known for films such as Dead Ringers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
During a film screening, Baum expressed her skepticism about Sweeney’s appeal, saying, “She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?”
In her Vanity Fair interview, Sweeney reflected on the hurtful nature of such comments, saying, “It’s very disheartening to see women tear other women down, especially when women who are successful in other avenues of their industry see younger talent working really hard, hoping to achieve whatever dreams they may have, and then try to bash and discredit any work that they’ve done.”
Sweeney also pondered the origins of this competitive mindset, calling it a “generational problem.”
She explained, “I’ve read that our entire lives, we were raised to believe only one woman can be at the top… So then all the others feel like they have to fight each other or take that one woman down instead of being like, let’s all lift each other up.”
Though one of Hollywood’s biggest breakout stars, Sweeney expressed frustration with the ongoing scrutiny she faces, saying, “I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m just trying my best over here. Why am I getting attacked?”
Following Baum’s initial comments, Sweeney’s representative issued a statement to Variety, responding, “How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman.”
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