They come as a pair
Page Six/X
What's actually worse: quoting the Daily Mail; quoting Page Six; or quoting Page Six quoting the Daily Mail? Because, if it's the third, here we go!
According to Carol Baum, a Hollywood producer who's given the world such cinematic treasures as Dead Ringers; the first two instalments of the Father of the Bride franchise; Buffy the Vampire Slayer, no not that Buffy the Vampire Slayer; and not forgetting Just in Time for Christmas for the Hallmark Channel: Sydney Sweeney
.isn’t pretty
and can’t act
Baum further revealed her students at The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts couldn’t give a satisfactory reason as to why the 26-year-old star is so sought-after, either. “I said to my class, ‘Explain this girl to me. She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?'” she recalled. “Nobody had an answer.”
Sara Whitman, Page Six
Actually, I'm fairly sure some of them had an unvoiced answer, if not two: left and right. (boobies)
Sweeney has her own production company, and who in Hollywood doesn't? I suspect that once her hotness subsides—probably after her first child—whatever remains of her career will be, like Baum's, largely behind the scenes, or in low-rent tabloids.
John Shearer
Huh? I don't get it!
Oh, this is interesting, albeit mildly. Sweeney, or rather her representative
, made a rebuttal to Baum's comments which was reported in Variety. And this is where the BBC picked up on the story.
According to its culture reporter, Helen Bushby: Baum's full quotes, reported in Variety, were…
. All of which made me think I was hasty in having used Page Six as a way of not sullying myself with the Daily Mail. But Variety's report came much later, in reference to Sweeney's rebuttal, it was not original reporting of Baum's interview. Indeed, Variety's Ethan Shanfeld directly cited the Daily Mail himself:
According to the Daily Mail, Baum said, “There’s an actress who everybody loves now: Sydney Sweeney. I don’t get Sydney Sweeney. I was watching on the plane Sydney Sweeney’s movie [‘Anyone but You’] because I wanted to watch it. I wanted to know who she is and why everybody’s talking about her. I watched this unwatchable movie — sorry to people who love this … romantic comedy where they hate each other.” Baum, who is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California, continued: “I said to my class, ‘Explain this girl to me. She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?’ Nobody had an answer. But then the question was asked, ‘Well, if you could get your movie made because she was in it, would you do it?’ … That’s a very hard question to answer because we all want to get the movie made and who walks away from a green light? Nobody I know. Your job is to get the movie made.”
Ethan Shanfeld, Sydney Sweeney Fires Back at Producer Who Said She’s ‘Not Pretty’ and ‘Can’t Act’: ‘How Sad’ and ‘Shameful’, Variety
There it is, in black and white. You can't get to Baum's quote without facing the fact that it comes courtesy of the Daily Fail. And Bushby chose not to use the primary source, or even acknowledge it. Clearly she's a cut above all that tabloid tittle-tattle.
The brouhaha has, inevitably, raised a shitstorm castigating Baum's catty comments on one hand, and agreeing with them on the other. I've never seen Sweeney on screen, other than a few clips from Madame Web, so cannot comment on her acting chops. She was nominated for an Emmy, but so what? She didn't win. And even if she had, so what? (shrug)
As for her not being pretty, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Like myself, Baum's no oil painting. Then again, neither of us are putting it out there, up on screen.
For what it's worth, in my opinion Sweeney's appearance is a triumph of hair—whether it's all her own or not is another matter—and professional makeup artistry over raw talent. Her eyes are unsettling, although that may be the way she sometimes poses her head. And when she tries the slightly open-mouthed sultry look, she holds a faintly vacant expression, not unlike the dim-witted kid in class who doesn't understand the question or the joke.
But that has as much to do with her teeth as her eyes. She's not unattractive, especially when made-up and photographed sympathetically, but she's neither pretty nor a natural beauty. Like I said, my opinion.
Comments are on!
Page Six's readership was divided in their views of Baum's assessment of Sweeney's talents. But the ones lambasting her, and praising Sweeney weren't funny, at least not funny haha.
Fair comment. We all have our preference. I like women who make sandwiches.
Latest Spread, commenting on Hollywood producer Carol Baum slams Sydney Sweeney: She ‘isn’t pretty’ and ‘can’t act’, Page Six
Can't comment on her acting as I've avoided anything with her in it. She's definitely not pretty. If it weren't for ginormous rack she'd be another girl working at the VIP table in a Las Vegas nightclub.
Piper O'Shenanigans, commenting on Hollywood producer Carol Baum slams Sydney Sweeney: She ‘isn’t pretty’ and ‘can’t act’, Page Six
Sydney is Definitely a D-list actress. Maybe even a DD one.
Kevin Crouth, commenting on Hollywood producer Carol Baum slams Sydney Sweeney: She ‘isn’t pretty’ and ‘can’t act’, Page Six
Well, she's not wrong. She has an average face but a waaaaaaaaaaay above average set of headlights ( . )( . ) Guys are not watching her for her acting though.
THE One undefined, commenting on Hollywood producer Carol Baum slams Sydney Sweeney: She ‘isn’t pretty’ and ‘can’t act’, Page Six
In her representative's rebuttal, Sweeney is referred to as a fellow female producer
. So, there you have it. Whatever it is.