Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s Anyone But You was highly anticipated leading up to its release. In addition to the film’s trailer featuring a sizzling chemistry between the two, the promotions for the film also were an exciting affair for fans who witnessed the actors having a lot of funny and cozy banter. They used the dating rumors to their advantage which worked in the film’s favor.
Years before, Jennifer Lopez starred in an erotic thriller in 2015 titled The Boy Next Door opposite Ryan Guzman. It seems JLo employed a similar trick (according to Guzman’s ex-girlfriend) to promote the film by concocting a promotional campaign for the film where she and Guzman were made to feel like a couple wherever they went.
Jennifer Lopez Allegedly Employed A Fake Dating Tactic With Co-Star to Promote Her Film
The promotional campaign for Anyone But You made headlines as fans couldn’t get enough of the electrifying chemistry that both Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell had off-screen. Their adorable camaraderie and the ease with which they boned with each other led fans to believe that they were dating in real life. The actors were aware of this and played along with it, grabbing more eyeballs for the film.
Interestingly, it seems Jennifer Lopez (allegedly) employed the same strategy for her erotic thriller The Boy Next Door in 2015. The film centered around a 19-year-old boy, played by Ryan Guzman, who develops a dangerous obsession with his teacher played by Lopez. In an appearance on the No Chaser podcast, Guzman’s ex-girlfriend Melanie Iglesias laid out how Lopez allegedly planned an elaborate strategy where people would be led to believe that she and Guzman were dating.
Iglesias stated that Lopez made Guzman pretend that he was single during promotions of the film (Guzman was dating Iglesias at the time). Lopez and Guzman acted like a charming couple for the paparazzi and fans, holding hands going to after parties, while their PR team told Iglesias that it was all an act to promote The Boy Next Door. She said
“She made my ex, oh my God, pretend that he was single to promote the movie. The publicists, both of them, called me … so they were at afterparties together, like, holding hands and stuff to promote this.”
Lopez’s alleged plan worked as Ellen DeGeneres asked her whether something was going on between her and Guzman (which she obviously denied, intriguing fans further with her reply) while promoting the film on her talk show (via YouTube). Her ‘supposed’ marketing strategy paid off big time as the film was a box office success (grossing $52 million against a $4 million budget via Box Office Mojo) even though it received negative reviews.
Sydney Sweeney Nailed Immaculate‘s Most Chilling Scene in The First Take
Sydney Sweeney ventured into the horror genre with her recent film Immaculate where she played a nun named Cecilia. As she enters a new convent in the Italian countryside, Cecilia discovers a horrifying secret that leads to her fighting for survival. The film’s ending featured Sweeney delivering a chilling loud scream, an emotional outburst that fans haven’t seen the actress pull off before.
In an interview with Variety, Sweeney revealed that she does not like to rehearse a scene and had to switch off every aspect of her own identity to play Cecilia. For the ending, she (shockingly), pulled off the horrifyingly intense scene in the first take itself. Sweeney said,
“I wish that I had a formulaic answer for how I did it. But whenever a director calls “action,” it’s just like a switch. And I allow all of Sydney’s thoughts and feelings and emotions to disappear. And I am now whatever character I’m playing — I’m Cecilia at the moment. I don’t like to rehearse; I don’t plan what is going to happen. What you saw [in the film’s final moments] was the first take.”
Sweeney received rave reviews for her performance in the film. Her role was indeed a departure from her typical ‘sexualized’ roles and it gave her ample opportunities to show her range as an actress. Fans can watch/rent Sweeney’s Immaculate on Amazon Prime.
Lopez’s The Boy Next Door is available to stream on Max.
