Sydney Sweeney has an impressive list of acting credits – but one major project stands out like a sore thumb.
As it turns out, the 27-year-old had a very clear reason for agreeing to star in Madame Web, a Spider-Man universe and Sony Pictures movie which ended up being dubbed a massive ‘box office flop’ by industry experts, as well as being panned by critics, with a tragic 11 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.
It debuted with one of the worst box office openings for a superhero movie ever.
And of course there were all the memes about the film’s dialogue and awkward use of ADR as well.
So why did the Euphoria actor agree to take part? Well, it sounds like Sweeney had a masterplan.
She made it very clear that while she has no regrets about taking part — even if it didn’t become a major box office success — she used the film as a ‘building block’ to build a relationship. Basically, Sweeney is the queen of networking.
Madame Web was a major box office flop (Sony)
“To me that film was a building block, it’s what allowed me to build a relationship with Sony,” she told GQ earlier this year. She spoke candidly about her career and the opportunities she’s had since making Madame Web.
Sweeney made the romcom Anyone But You, starring opposite Glen Powell, after completing work on Madame Web.
The film, which was also distributed by Sony Pictures, was more well received, with some viewers hailing it as the big screen return of the romantic comedy genre.
An unnamed source said Sweeney was key to ensuring Anyone But You was given the green light to go ahead.
And how did she do this? By agreeing to make Madame Web.
Sydney Sweeney’s salary has been revealed (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
“She wanted them to know she was a team player,” a source of Sony Pictures told the publication.
Sweeney is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses, and The Hollywood Reporter cited sources that Anyone But You has helped Sweeney nab pay rises for her upcoming movies because of its success.
For Anyone But You, the actor is said to have made $2 million as well as $250,000 on a producer’s fee – making a grand total of $3.9 million.
She bagged $250,000 for her role in Immaculate – a film she also produced – $650,000 for Reality, and $750,000 for her appearance in Madame Web.
So in hindsight, it wasn’t all bad for Madame Web.
