Crossing the Line: Rumors of an affair between “Anyone but You” costars are a primary example of publicity stunts being taken too far

So, are “Anyone but You” costars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell having an affair or not?

It’s not just a yes or no answer. It’s unethical that this question has been used to garner hype about the new rom-com by Will Gluck since its release in December 2023. The movie promotion industry is going too far.

I didn’t expect to like “Anyone but You,” not being a big fan of Sweeney and never having heard Powell’s name before entering the theater, but it met all of my rom-com expectations — right down to the witty dialogue and mildly convoluted plot.

The last thing I could’ve anticipated was that later that same day I’d be glued to my phone, having fallen down a rabbit hole of dodgy internet articles debating the two actors’ rumored real-life affair.

I found myself invested in getting to the bottom of the rumors. Half of the stories I read passed the potential affair off as calculated movie promotion, while others were entirely convinced of its truth from overanalyzing petty likes and unfollows over Instagram. 

No matter how unromantic it may be, the drama is phony. It was carefully invented by a marketing firm somewhere to generate excitement about the movie and give viewers something to buzz about. 

But I couldn’t help but feel a little taken aback, how far is too far? After all, Sweeney is engaged and Powell’s recent breakup matches up a little too perfectly with the movie’s heavily publicized press tour.

Both actors shared copious amounts of behind the scenes photos together on social media from their time filming, topped off with flirty comments left on each other’s posts. In interviews, the two fueled rumors by avoiding pointed questions about their relationships, egging on the media’s speculations.

Of course there’s the argument that they’re actors, that they signed up for this sort of thing. In many ways they’re nothing more than malleable, marketable products — except for the fact that they’re humans.

Even if the whole ploy was in the contracts they willingly signed, it never should have been. Actors should be entitled to the same agency anyone else would be, and their personal lives shouldn’t be exploited.

The whole ordeal mirrors a decades-long pattern of Hollywood scandals, notably the Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt-Jennifer Aniston triangle during “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” Scandals also contribute to a recurring issue where the public puts celebrities, especially actors, on pedestals. Why should time be spent speculating about relationships so far removed from themselves?

Despite the undeniable chemistry between actors in “Anyone but You,” I encourage viewers to ignore rumors. Take the movie for what it’s there for, to entertain, without buying into gossip columns and — no matter how believable — meticulously crafted publicity stunts.