The Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney is still receiving backlash for her American Eagle ad. However, she’s not letting this stop her from continuing to achieve Hollywood success.
Instead, Sweeney is preparing to star in a new movie that has been described as a Dolly Parton-inspired Western heist. In a new interview, Sweeney is speaking out to praise Parton herself.
Sweeney Praises Parton
Sweeney, 27, stars in the new film Americana, which hits theaters on Friday, August 15. In the movie, Sweeney stars as Penny Jo Poplin, a small-town diner waitress who is obsessed with Parton. Indeed, Penny Jo is obsessed with following in the footsteps of the country music legend.
“Dolly is definitely her biggest aspirational role model,” Sweeney told Entertainment Weekly. “Dolly is almost like a godlike figure to Penny Jo, and I really wanted to make sure that we had the aspirations of being Dolly, but then, she doesn’t have the resources.”
“It’s trying to find that in-between place of who Penny is and what she has,” she continued. “But then also who she wants to be. Penny Jo dreams of being able to have Dolly’s outlook on life because her world feels so gray, dark, and trapped. [Dolly has] this beautiful big personality and energy that makes everything have color again, and that’s what she wants.”
Penny Jo also wants to be a singer-songwriter. The character ends up coming cross an artifact that might just be her “ticket” to making her Nashville dreams come true.
“She finally sees something that can be her ticket to Nashville,” Sweeney teased. “It’s her ticket to be able to go and chase her dreams. And she’s past the point of waiting for it to happen.”
Related: Sydney Sweeney Blasts Producer Who Said She ‘Can’t Act’ And Is ‘Not Pretty’
Americana Movie
Americana also stars the pop singer Halsey as well as actors Eric Dane, Zahn McClarnon and Simon Rex.
Some are concerned that Sweeney’s American Eagle controversy will hurt the film’s performance at the box office. However, the PR expert Eric Schiffer believes that Sweeney will actually be a major draw for audiences to see the movie. He added that this will only be helped by her character’s devotion to Parton, who is beloved by virtually everyone.
“She plays Penny Jo, a waitress who worships Dolly; that disarming sweetness offsets the AE edge and broadens demo reach,” Schiffer told Fox News.
“Country-curious teens and red-state moms will test-drive the movie; coastal critics bring pitiless scrutiny — perfect storm for sales,” he added.
Related: People Are Convinced ‘It Girl’ Sydney Sweeney Is Leaving Her Fiancé
American Eagle Controversy
This comes one month after American Eagle released an ad campaign that was titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The ad offended woke leftists who were quick to brand it “tone-deaf” due to racial undertones that they claimed were present in it. Others, however, were quick to praise Sweeney for fighting back against the “woke” advertising that has become the norm in recent years.
In the ad, Sweeney boasted about having “great genes.”
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,” she said. The camera proceeded to pan to her eyes as she added, “My jeans are blue.”
Those who are against the ad say that it has undertones of “eugenics” and “White supremacy.” Despite the backlash, American Eagle has stood by Sweeney.
“’Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jean. Her jeans. Her story,” American Eagle said in a brief statement released on August 1. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
At the time of this writing, Sweeney herself has yet to comment on the controversy publicly. Only time will tell how Sweeney’s new movie does. Here’s hoping that it’s a hit, because we love Sydney Sweeney!