They got us!

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell sold us the love story we wanted while promoting their funny rom-com Anyone but You last spring. Their undeniable chemistry onscreen, in interviews, and on the red carpet led fans to think the two were hopelessly in love—or at least dating. And Powell’s split from longtime girlfriend Gigi Paris during filming, along with the fact that Sweeney was rarely seen out with fiancé Jonathan Davino, only fueled the rumors.

But in an interview published Tuesday, Powell admits it was all an act, entirely calculated by Sweeney herself.

“The two things that you have to sell a rom-com are fun and chemistry,” Powell told The New York Times. “Sydney and I have a ton of fun together, and we have a ton of effortless chemistry. That’s people wanting what’s on the screen off the screen, and sometimes you just have to lean into it a bit—and it worked wonderfully. Sydney is very smart.”

Sweeney and her husband-to-be worked as executive producers on the film through her production company, Fifty-Fifty Films. In the movie, Sweeney (who plays Bea) and Powell (who plays Ben), star as two people who have been avoiding each other since going on a date that ended badly—but who find themselves stuck at the same wedding in Australia. Spoiler: They eventually fall in love.

Ethan Miller//Getty Images

Sweeney told the Times that she “was on every call” regarding marketing for the film ahead of its December 2023 release. “I was in text group chats. I was probably keeping everybody over at Sony marketing and distribution awake at night because I couldn’t stop with ideas,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that we were actively having a conversation with the audience as we were promoting this film, because at the end of the day, they’re the ones who created the entire narrative.”

And, while Sweeney and Powell have clarified many times that they are, in fact, just good friends, their romantic ploy paid off, as the movie remains the 10th-highest-grossing film in 2024 at the domestic box office.

Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets. 

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