Kim Novak Reacts To Sydney Sweeney Biopic

by Natasha JokicBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffI'm a Senior Staff Writer at BuzzFeed covering pop culture, entertainment, and politics.

Kim Novak isn't a fan of Sydney Sweeney playing her in an upcoming biopic.

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You likely know Kim as an icon of '50s cinema, starring in movies like Vertigo. During this time, she dated Sammy Davis Jr., with the two rumored to have considered marriage at one point. However, their relationship ended after her studio head allegedly put a mob hit on Sammy because he didn't want his star dating a Black man.

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In late 2024, it was announced that Colman Domingo was set to make his feature directorial debut with a period drama about the relationship called Scandalous! — with David Jonsson and Sydney attached to star.

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“I'm incredibly honored to be bringing Kim to life. I mean, she is such an amazing actress,” Sydney herself said last year. “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. And I think that for me, I relate to it in a lot of different ways.”

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In a new interview with the Times of London, Kim, now 93, was asked what she made of Sydney's casting. “I would never have approved,” she replied, saying that she thinks Sydney “sticks out so much above the waist.”

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She further expressed concern that the movie would focus on their sexual relationship, while Kim stressed that they had “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.”

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Kim also said that the mob rumor was "true" but denied that they ever applied for a marriage license, adding, "I mean, he loved me. I cared for him deeply. But at that time I never wanted to marry anybody.”

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Sydney has previously played boxer Christy Martin, who was considerably more supportive of the endeavor. When the actor received backlash for news that she was a registered Republican, the real-life Christy said, "The past few days I have seen some people attack my friend Sydney Sweeney. Syd not only worked her ass off for this film, she worked her ass off for me. For my story. For so many others suffering in silence. So I want to be clear about who Syd is. She is my friend and ally!"

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You can read the full interview here.

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