The Star Sydney Sweeney Wants To Lock Lips With In A Future Romcom

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell co-starred in 2023 rom-com "Anyone But You," a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." The making of the film included some off-screen drama for Sweeney and Powell when rumors they were having an affair hit the internet. Powell and Sweeney have differing thoughts on those rumors, and Sweeney has made it clear that the speculation is false and she isn't bothered by rumors that she had an affair with Powell.

"Anyone But You" did more than just cause an online stir. It did well at the box office, with Comscore calculating that it generated approximately $170 million in global ticket sales by February 2024 (via CNBC). Although there's been a rom-com slump since the rise of superhero films, "Anyone But You" proved that romantic comedies are still profitable for the big screen. Will Gluck, who wrote, directed, and produced "Anyone But You," spoke with CNBC and said, "Studios are, at the end of the day, businesses. So, if they start to see a certain thing is successful, they're going to try to replicate that success. So, I don't think there's an inherent bias against rom-coms and comedies."

It's not hard to imagine Sweeney entering the world of rom-coms again after the "Anyone But You" success (as she executive produced in addition to starring). While participating in a Buzzfeed Puppy Interview, Sweeney even told the outlet who she'd want to star in a future rom-com with: Paul Mescal.

Sydney Sweeney was interviewed by Buzzfeed for her superhero film "Madame Web," which was released in February 2024. When asked about potential rom-com leading men, Sweeney pondered her options for a moment and said, "I feel like it'd be really fun to work with Paul Mescal or someone like that." When the Film Updates account on X, formerly known as Twitter, shared the news that Sweeney wanted to star in a rom-com with Mescal, one fan of his replied, "she doesn't know that all of us are in line and she can't just skip?"

Mescal is an Irish actor likely most known for his role in the series "Normal People." He also starred alongside fellow Irish actor Andrew Scott in the 2023 film "All of Us Strangers." Off TV and movie screens, Mescal had a social media rom-com moment that started his relationship with Phoebe Bridgers. They had a back-and-forth on X, formerly known as Twitter, when the "Kyoto" singer tweeted about his show "Normal People," and they seemingly dated for about two years.

When Mescal was a guest on the "Chicken Shop Date" talk show hosted by Amelia Dimoldenberg, the topic of real-life romance was broached. Mescal thought he was romantic, but he pointed out how romance is different for everyone. "I love walking," Mescal added. "A good long walk is romantic to me." 

Paul Mescal also knows an actor he'd like to collaborate with for a future rom-com. While speaking to Awards Watch, he said he wanted to branch out creatively after acting in a lot of dramas. When the interviewer mentioned a potential comedy, Mescal laughed and said, "Comedy scares me deeply because I think I saw 'Bottoms' recently and I was in awe of how they do that. ... But I think in the next five years I'm going to set myself a challenge to do maybe like a rom-com with Ayo (Edebiri) or something like that would be cool."

Edebiri, star of "Bottoms" and "The Bear," spoke with Awards Watch a few weeks later and said she was totally down to join Mescal. The actors had been in contact since he said that, and Edebiri said she enjoyed seeing Mescal's work. She added, "I actually said, 'So, is someone writing a script for us now, or what?' So that's my answer, if somebody writes us a good script." 

Edebiri also felt that the heartfelt rom-com "About Time" with Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams would be one they should try to emulate, so Mescal could still use his skills as a dramatic actor. "Like, still a rom-com, but we got to get something inventive," she said.