Mar 28, 2026 11:48am PT

Kim Novak Says Sydney Sweeney Is ‘Totally Wrong to Play Me’ in Upcoming Film About Romance With Sammy Davis Jr.: ‘I Would Never Have Approved’

Jack Dunn

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Jack Dunn

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Kim Novak recently told The Times of London that she would’ve “never approved” the upcoming drama film “Scandalous” about her relationship with Sammy Davis Jr., starring Sydney Sweeney and David Jonsson.

Sweeney is set to play Novak in the film opposite Jonsson as Davis. Novak is not pleased with Sweeney in the role, telling The Times that the “Anyone But You” star “sticks out so much above the waist.”

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Novak is also worried that the film will focus too much on the sexual dynamic between her and Davis, when in reality their romance was based on them having “so much in common. There’s no way it wouldn’t be a sexual relationship because Sydney Sweeney looks sexy all the time. She was totally wrong to play me.”

Reps for Sweeney did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.

“Scandalous” was first revealed in October 2024 with Sweeney’s “Euphoria” co-star Colman Domingo at the helm. At the time, it was reported that Miramax was fast-tracking the project with hopes of shooting after the third season of “Euphoria” wrapped production.

While Novak remains trepidatious about “Scandalous,” Sweeney told People in October 2025 that she’s “incredibly honored” to lead the film.

“I think her story is still very relevant today in that she dealt with Hollywood and scrutiny with her relationships and her own private life and the control of her image,” she said. “And I think that for me, I relate to it in a lot of different ways.”

Novak and Davis first met in 1956 when they appeared as guests on “The Steve Allen Show.” They continued to meet regularly in the following year, with Davis making visits to the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo.” The pair met again at a Thanksgiving charity ball in California and ended up spending the holidays together.

In 1958, their relationship became public after a Chicago columnist published an account of Davis and Novak’s connection, claiming they could soon be married. Novak denied that account, and days later, Davis married Loray White. Their relationship only lasted a year. Novak went on to marry Richard Johnson in 1965. The pair later divorced, but remarried until Malloy died in 1976.

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Kim Novak Says Sydney Sweeney Is 'Totally Wrong to Play Me' in Upcoming Film About Romance With Sammy Davis Jr.: 'I Would Never Have Approved'