Sydney Sweeney‘s name has been on the tip of Hollywood’s tongue for years, but she’s become far and away the most visible actor of 2025. Trending daily, memefied endlessly, and deemed “uncancelable,” the sheer number of eyes on Sweeney is what most A-listers would pay for. In a world where attention is currency, Sweeney might be the richest actor alive. There’s just one small problem: few people seem to actually want to watch her movies.
Sweeney’s blue doe eyes, resting IDGAF face, and generally unfazed attitude have become omnipresent. It’s nearly impossible to scroll through any app without encountering something — anything — about her.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the atmosphere around Sydney Sweeney feels unlike anything we’ve experienced in recent years. The greater public is obsessed with her, and publications seem to be incentivized to at least post pictures of her, if not cover her incessantly. The desire to stay up to date about what she’s up to is enormous — and it far exceeds the desire to watch her do the things she initially became famous for.
Sweeney’s latest film, Christy, in which she portrays Hall of Fame boxer Christy Martin, bombed at the box office during its opening weekend. Directed by David Michôd and co-produced by Sweeney, the film pulled in a meager $1.3 million against a budget of $15 million. Indie studio Black Bear, which recently began distribution in the US, made Christy its very first release stateside, further extending the film’s uphill battle.
“I am so deeply proud of this movie,” Sweeney wrote in an Instagram post on November 10th, addressing the chatter that the boxing biopic is among the worst openings for a new release across more than 2,000 screens. She added that she was “proud to represent someone as strong and resilient as Christy Martin,” calling the experience “one of the greatest honors of my life.”
“So yes I’m proud,” she continued. “Why? Because we don’t always just make art for numbers, we make it for impact. And Christy has been the most impactful project of my life. Thank you Christy. I love you.” Since then, fellow actor Ruby Rose has slammed the casting decision, and Christy Martin herself has defended Sweeney, calling her a “friend and ally.”
Ahead of Christy‘s release, Sydney Sweeney’s press run generated more headlines about her personal life and viral moments than about the film itself. Her November GQ profile was aggregated ad nauseam for her non-response to her American Eagle jeans ad and the alleged eugenics reference that sparked a week-long discourse cycle.
If you somehow don’t remember the campaign, it centered on “good jeans.” In one particular ad, of several, Sweeney seductively zips a pair of jeans, while coquettishly relaying the following message: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”
After the outrage machine was calculated to go into overdrive, critics — professional and keyboard warriors alike — went to work, expressing disbelief and disappointment at what some called a dog whistle in ad form. Meanwhile, the White House threw itself in front of the racist accusations that were heading her way, calling criticisms “moronic.”
When given an opportunity to address the backlash in GQ, Sweeney’s answers were consistently mild, even rehearsed: “I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”