Amanda Seyfried said she and Sydney Sweeney do not discuss controversy over Sweeney's 2025 American Eagle ad campaign "unless she wants to talk about it"
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NEED TO KNOW
- Amanda Seyfried supported Sydney Sweeney during backlash over her American Eagle campaign while promoting their film The Housemaid
- Sweeney faced criticism for the campaign’s messaging but said she does not align with the views critics associated with it
- Despite the controversy, Sweeney balanced multiple projects and celebrated Seyfried’s birthday with cupcakes and a bracelet
Amanda Seyfried is reflecting on promoting The Housemaid alongside costar Sydney Sweeney as Sweeney faced backlash over her summer 2025 American Eagle campaign.
The Housemaid was a big hit and spawned an upcoming sequel. Around the time of its release in 2025, Sweeney became part of a large controversy after an ad titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" was criticized for using the word “jeans” as a play on “genes,” a choice some viewed as racially charged and suggestive of genetic superiority. Others condemned the campaign for catering to the male gaze and evoking comparisons to Brooke Shields' contentious 1980 denim ads.
“We had a great time on the press tour,” Seyfried, 40, told British GQ in a profile published Monday. “We worked really hard and she seemed to be having fun, but I also understood that probably it can't be f—ing easy, where she found herself… I have heard her stand up for herself, but I think she found herself between a rock and a hard place.”
Asked how she supported Sweeney, 28, during that period, Seyfried — who has worked in Hollywood for more than two decades — said, “I'm just there. I don't talk to her about it unless she wants to talk about it. I don't want to be a source of anything, but whatever you need. You need some fun, you need to laugh, you need cake with me? That's fine… at the same time, I'm like, ‘We've got to promote this movie and I can be a safe space.' ”
Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate
During the fall of 2025, Sweeney was promoting Christy in addition to The Housemaid while navigating the public debate over her American Eagle ad. She also recently appeared in the final season of HBO's Euphoria. Despite her packed schedule, Seyfried told British GQ that Sweeney still made time to celebrate her December birthday. “[Sweeney] brought me all these cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery and gave me this most beautiful bracelet,” she recalled.
Sweeney told PEOPLE exclusively in December that she felt "honestly surprised by the reaction" to the campaign and asserted that she does not align herself with the ideas critics of the campaign ascribed to the advertisements.
"I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don't support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren't true," she said at the time. "Anyone who knows me knows that I'm always trying to bring people together. I'm against hate and divisiveness. In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it."
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Credit: Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate
Back in April, American Eagle and Sweeney unveiled their new campaign for this year titled "Syd for Short," centered around the clothing brand's new shorts collection. At that time, she told PEOPLE that the new campaign shows off "a very authentic side of who I am."
"Everyone back home and my friends and my family, they know me as Syd, and so getting to show that side of my personality with American Eagle is really special for me," Sweeney said.
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