Glen Powell Swears off Fake Romance Marketing After the ‘Anyone but You’ Sydney Sweeney Saga

Few modern rom-com press tours got as much attention as the one for ‘Anyone But You’. Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney’s flirty chemistry dominated headlines in 2023, sparking endless speculation about whether their on-screen romance had become real.

It also helped turn the film into a hit. ‘Anyone But You’ opened with a modest $6 million domestically before becoming a sleeper success that earned about $220 million worldwide.

Now Powell says he won’t repeat that approach. In his new Esquire cover story, written by Madison Vain, he said he will never again manufacture a relationship or rely on guerrilla marketing to promote a film after his experience with ‘Anyone But You’.

The speculation started while the film was in production. Photos and videos of the co-stars getting close on set circulated online, and their playful chemistry at CinemaCon in Las Vegas added fuel to the rumors.

The timing made things more complicated. Powell had split from his girlfriend of 3 years, model Gigi Paris, in April 2023, around the same time the rumors were spreading. Both actors maintained that their relationship was platonic. Sweeney, who also produced the film, was engaged to producer Jonathan Davino at the time.

New trailer for ‘ANYONE BUT YOU’ starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. https://t.co/85RwEnLcwa

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) November 16, 2023

In 2024, Powell and Sweeney admitted they had deliberately leaned into the buzz. Speaking to The New York Times, Powell said selling a rom-com comes down to fun and chemistry, and he credited Sweeney with the marketing instincts behind it.

Sweeney said she was involved in every aspect of the campaign, joining calls and group chats with the marketing team. The joke continued during her ‘Saturday Night Live’ monologue, when a camera that was meant to show her fiancé landed on a smiling Powell instead.

Powell also told Business Insider that it was harder for him to lean into the rumors than it was for Sweeney, since he was dealing with a real breakup at the time. The strategy came with a personal cost. In June 2025, Paris spoke on the ‘Too Much’ podcast about the breakup, saying she felt she had been fed to the dogs and was hurt that Powell never publicly shut the rumors down.

Powell responded in a September 2025 GQ cover story. He said he would always have love and respect for Paris and that people tell their own versions of a breakup. He also shared that Tom Cruise had advised him to turn the volume down as public attention grew. Paris has since moved on and went public with former NFL player Cooper Helfet in late 2025.

The narrative has continued to shift. Sweeney later told Variety that the press created the romance story on its own and denied that she and Powell had played it up. Those comments seemed to contradict their earlier statements about leaning into the speculation for marketing purposes. Powell’s latest remarks suggest he is ready to leave that chapter behind.

The Esquire profile shows Powell taking a more measured approach to his public image. In the same interview, he explained why he avoids discussing politics and blamed Paramount’s marketing layoffs for the box office struggles of ‘The Running Man’.

Some fans online were skeptical, pointing out that Powell himself once described the rumors as simply part of the job. Others saw his comments as a sign that he has learned from the backlash. Either way, the ‘Anyone But You’ campaign remains one of the most talked-about examples of modern movie marketing, and Powell now seems determined not to repeat it.

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