Kim Novak Says Sydney Sweeney Is “Totally Wrong” to Play Her in Scandalous!: “She Could Never Play Me”

Summary

• Kim Novak slammed Sydney Sweeney’s casting in Scandalous!, the upcoming biopic about her 1950s affair with Sammy Davis Jr., saying she “would never have approved.”
• Novak’s beef isn’t just personal — she fears the film will reduce her complex romance with Davis to a purely sexual story because Sweeney “looks sexy all the time.”
• Sweeney says she’s “incredibly honored” to play Novak — a sentiment her subject clearly does not share.

---

Kim Novak would like the record to reflect that she did not sign off on this.

The Hollywood legend sat down with The Times of London on March 28 to share her unfiltered thoughts on Scandalous!, the upcoming biopic directed by Colman Domingo (Euphoria) that chronicles her taboo 1950s affair with Sammy Davis Jr. And when it comes to the casting of Sydney Sweeney in the role of Novak herself? The Vertigo star is decidedly not a fan.

“I would never have approved,” Novak said, adding that the Euphoria actress “sticks out so much above the waist.”

Novak went further, saying Sweeney is “totally wrong” to play her, and adding — perhaps most pointedly — that “she could never play me.” For someone who has generally kept a low profile in recent years, Novak is not exactly pulling punches.

And the casting critique isn’t just about looks. Novak has a larger, more substantive concern baked into it: she’s worried that Scandalous! is going to steamroll the genuine emotional complexity of her relationship with Davis in favor of something far more salacious.

“There’s no way it wouldn’t be a sexual relationship because Sydney Sweeney looks sexy all the time,” Novak told The Times. “She was totally wrong to play me.”

The subtext here is hard to miss. Novak wants the world to know that she and Davis — who met in 1956 as guests on The Steve Allen Show — had “so much in common,” and she fears the film will focus too much on the sexual dynamic between them rather than the depth of what they shared.

For context, their relationship was a genuine powder keg in 1950s America. Novak and Davis were at the peak of their star power when they met, and as rumors spread, the rampant racism in America threatened to derail both of their careers. The affair was reportedly broken up by Columbia Pictures boss Harry Cohn, who threatened Davis with mob violence over the interracial relationship. That’s a story with actual stakes — and Novak clearly doesn’t want it flattened into a sexed-up awards-bait romp.

Novak, who revealed her bipolar diagnosis in 2013, also offered Sweeney some unsolicited acting advice: “You can’t learn to be vulnerable. It’s a big asset to be a bipolar actor. No one feels joy or pain as much as someone who’s bipolar. The feelings are unstoppable.”

Sweeney, for her part, has been nothing but gracious about the role — perhaps too gracious, given how this is going. She told People in October 2025 that she’s “incredibly honored” to lead the film, adding, “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.”

When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if she’d met Novak, Sweeney didn’t answer directly, but noted: “Colman and her have a really beautiful relationship. They’ve been talking. We connected them, so it’s been really cool.”

Cool! Very cool! Definitely not awkward at all!

Domingo, making his feature directorial debut with Scandalous!, has described the film as a “fractured love story.” He previously told Deadline they planned to shoot in summer 2025, adding: “And then hopefully we’ll make a beautiful, sweet film that’s really about the possibility of love, but under many eyes, trying to have privacy, trying to have love, trying to have a life.”

It’s worth noting this is not the first time Novak has pushed back on the project. As early as 2025, when the film was first announced, she questioned its very title, rejecting the idea that her relationship with Davis could be reduced to something “scandalous.” The woman has been consistent, if nothing else.

Sweeney previously paid tribute to Novak at the 2025 Met Gala, wearing a black Miu Miu dress similar to one Novak wore in 1967’s The Legend of Lylah Clare. A sweet gesture, sure — but apparently not sweet enough to win over the original.

Scandalous! stars David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus) as Sammy Davis Jr. Reps for Sweeney have not commented publicly.