'It worked wonderfully': Glen Powell admits he and Sydney Sweeney leaned into romance rumors to promote 'Anyone But You'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In an effort to generate excitement for their romantic comedy 'Anyone But You', Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney have finally admitted that they 'leaned into' off-screen romance rumors.

Powell, 35, and Sweeney, 26, created box office wonders with 'Anyone But You,' which brought in $219 million worldwide after its premiere in December.

During the months-long build-up to the film, there were rumors that Powell and Sweeney had dated off-screen after his ex-girlfriend Gigi Paris broke up in April 2023.

However, as the co-stars recently revealed to The New York Times, those speculations inadvertently worked to their advantage.

Glen Powell, Sydney Sweeney admitted leaning on romance rumors to promote 'Anyone But You'

Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney were plagued by rumors that they had an affair onset leading up to 'Anyone But You's release.

There was a hint of scandal to the rumor because Sweeney was already engaged to her longtime boyfriend Jonathan Davino at the time, per Daily Mail.

Powell has now admitted that he and Sweeney deliberately encouraged the rumors to boost the box-office performance of their film. The movie was a huge hit, so he noted that the strategy "worked wonderfully."

Powell told the New York Times: "The two things that you have to sell a rom-com are fun and chemistry. 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," he added.

Not only did Sweeney star in the Columbia Pictures picture, but she was also heavily involved in the marketing campaign and worked as an executive producer through her Fifty-Fifty Films firm.

"I was on every call. 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 admitted.

The 'Euphoria' star added: "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."

The story of 'Anyone But You' centers on two wedding guests—Sweeney's character Bea and Powell's character Ben—who had a bad date that didn't work out.

Attending a wedding weekend, they decide to act like a couple, and while trying to mask their distaste for one another, they fall in love.

'Anyone But You' is still the 10th-highest-grossing American box office release of 2024, proving that their efforts to capitalize on popular interest in the film paid off, per PEOPLE.

Glen Powell's single status fueled romance rumors more

While Sweeney and restaurateur Jonathan Davino were engaged, Powell's single status fueled the fling fire even more.

In April 2023, amid rumors that Powell and her ex-girlfriend Gigi Paris were calling it quits, Paris unfollowed Sweeney on Instagram.

This eventually led the famous gossip account DeuxMoi to speculate that the couple had been having problems in the months after Sweeney's filming began.

A source revealed to PEOPLE at the time: "Gigi only unfollowed Sydney on social media because Sydney never followed her back. This had nothing to do with Glen and Sydney. Gigi is aware that Glen and Sydney never hooked up."

In a 2023 Variety interview, Sweeney addressed the infidelity charges and defended their close connection, and said: "Sometimes I feel beat up by it. It’s hard to sit back and watch, and not be able to stand up for yourself."

"Glen and I don’t really care," Sweeney continued. "We have so much fun together, and we respect each other so much; he’s such a hard worker, and I’m a hard worker."

Regarding the alleged affair headlines, she remarked, "We talk all the time, like, ‘That’s really funny'."