Kim Novak Voices Concerns Over Sydney Sweeney's Biopic 'Scandalous!'
Kim Novak has again expressed reservations about the upcoming biopic Scandalous!, starring Sydney Sweeney, which will depict her relationship with Sammy Davis Jr.
Kim Novak is once again sharing her concerns about the upcoming Sydney Sweeney-led biopic, Scandalous!, a film that will explore her relationship with Sammy Davis Jr.
Novak, an icon of Hollywood's Golden Age, famously starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece, Vertigo. During that era, she also embarked on a secret romance with Sammy Davis Jr., a prominent singer and actor.
The film, dramatizing their relationship, marks the directorial debut of Sweeney’s Euphoria co-star Colman Domingo, with Industry star David Jonsson set to portray Davis Jr. Sweeney shared her reservations with The Times, stating, “I would never have approved,” about her casting, adding that The Housemaid actress “sticks out so much above the waist.”
Novak fears the film will overemphasize the sexual aspect of their relationship, rather than focusing on the deep connection they shared. She stated, “There’s no way it wouldn’t be a sexual relationship because Sydney Sweeney looks sexy all the time,” and reiterated, “She was totally wrong to play me. I would never have approved.”
These comments echo Novak’s statements to The Guardian last year, where she questioned the project's title.
She said, “I don’t think the relationship was scandalous,” adding, “He’s somebody I really cared about. We had so much in common, including that need to be accepted for who we are and what we do, rather than how we look. But I’m concerned they’re going to make it all sexual reasons.”
Novak and Davis Jr. first met in the mid-1950s on The Steve Allen Show, beginning a clandestine relationship due to the prevailing attitudes towards interracial relationships. Jim Crow laws were still in effect in America.
When Harry Cohn, co-founder of Columbia Pictures (to which Novak was signed), discovered the affair, he allegedly threatened Davis Jr. and warned Novak that dating a Black man would negatively impact her box office appeal, leading to their separation.
In 2024, Domingo told Deadline that he hoped to begin production after he and Sweeney finished the third season of Euphoria, which is expected to be released next month.
He shared his vision for the film: “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,” adding, “And I think it’s something that Sydney and I both know very well. We’re trying to advocate for your humanity again in your life.”
Earlier this year, Sweeney faced potential trouble for a publicity stunt involving bras on the Hollywood sign for her lingerie brand.
The stunt followed controversy surrounding her American Eagle jeans commercial, which was criticized for perceived racial undertones. Sweeney addressed the issue in December, stating she “doesn’t support the views” associated with the controversy.
Before the commercial, Sweeney made headlines for selling soap infused with her bath water.
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