Kim Novak Says Sydney Sweeney Is 'Totally Wrong to Play Me' in Scandalous Biopic

Kim Novak, 93, told The Times of London in March 2026 that she would "never have approved" Sydney Sweeney playing her in the upcoming Miramax film Scandalous!, which dramatises her 1957 romance with Sammy Davis Jr. Her verdict: "She was totally wrong to play me."

Novak's objection that Sweeney "sticks out so much above the waist" made headlines, but her underlying fear is more specific: "There's no way it wouldn't be a sexual relationship because Sydney Sweeney looks sexy all the time." Novak is not saying Sweeney cannot act. She is saying Sweeney's public image will make the audience see sex where she and Davis felt connection.

Sweeney previously said she felt "incredibly honored" to portray Novak and noted the continued relevance of Novak's battles with Hollywood image control. Sweeney's representatives did not immediately respond to The Times or Fox News when the story published.

The biopic nobody has started shooting

The film will be directed by Colman Domingo, the Emmy-winning actor and director who played Ali in Euphoria alongside Sweeney. Miramax acquired the project in October 2024. David Jonsson has been cast as Sammy Davis Jr. Production has not yet begun, which means Novak's objection is aimed at a film that exists only on paper.

Novak confirmed for The Times that the mob threat against Davis was real: the rumored Mafia warning to end the relationship or face consequences. She said they had "so much in common" and that she "cared for him deeply," but she never wanted marriage at that time. The film's job is to hold that complexity. Her worry is that casting a currently famous sex symbol guarantees the complexity disappears.

The comment that cut deeper

The body comment was what spread. The actual concern Novak raised deserves more attention: "You can't learn to be vulnerable. It's a big asset to be a bipolar actor." Novak lived with bipolar disorder throughout her career and experienced Hollywood's systematic attempts to manage, repress, and commodify her image as a result. She built her performance style around that vulnerability, not around glamour.

Sweeney has spoken openly about anxiety and the pressures of public scrutiny. Whether that qualifies as the lived experience Novak is describing is a separate question, and not one this piece can answer. But Novak's point is not a casual body snark: she is saying there is a specific kind of authenticity the role requires, and she does not see evidence Sweeney has it.

The irony nobody is writing about

Kim Novak spent her entire career fighting to be seen as more than her body. Studios packaged her as a blonde sex symbol; she pushed back, demanded dramatic roles, and eventually walked away from Hollywood in 1991. She bought a cattle ranch in Oregon and stopped performing.

Sydney Sweeney has, in recent months, done the opposite: leaned directly into her body as a brand asset, most visibly in the Novig nude sports betting ad. Novak's fear is that casting a woman who has publicly embraced that framing will replicate, on screen, the exact thing she spent her life refusing.

That is not necessarily fair to Sweeney, whose range extends well beyond her brand partnerships. But it is a coherent argument, and it comes from the person the film is literally about. Colman Domingo has not publicly responded to Novak's comments. Neither has Miramax.

At a glance

Kim Novak age and film: Novak is 93. The biopic Scandalous! is directed by Colman Domingo. David Jonsson plays Sammy Davis Jr. Miramax acquired the project in October 2024. Production had not begun as of publication.
Novak quotes (The Times, March 2026): "I would never have approved." "She was totally wrong to play me." "[Sydney] sticks out so much above the waist." "There's no way it wouldn't be a sexual relationship because Sydney Sweeney looks sexy all the time." "You can't learn to be vulnerable. It's a big asset to be a bipolar actor."
Sweeney quote (People, October 2025): Sweeney said she felt "incredibly honored" to lead the film and noted the continued relevance of Novak's experiences with Hollywood image control.
Novak-Davis Jr. relationship: Novak confirmed the mob threat against Davis was real. She said they had "so much in common" but she never intended marriage at that time. The affair took place in 1957.
Novak career context: Novak fought studio image management throughout her career, demanded dramatic roles beyond glamour casting, and retired from Hollywood in 1991 to a cattle ranch in Oregon. She has lived with bipolar disorder.

Ad Watch News is an independent commentary site. No affiliation with Sydney Sweeney, Kim Novak, Miramax, Colman Domingo, or any party named here. This piece draws on published interviews and entertainment news coverage, listed below.

Kim Novak Says Sydney Sweeney Is 'Totally Wrong to Play Me' in Scandalous Biopic

The biopic nobody has started shooting

The comment that cut deeper

The irony nobody is writing about

At a glance

Sources & further reading

Dakota Johnson Calls Verity's Sapphic Scenes 'On My Tombstone'

Howard Stern Called the Novig Ad 'Great.' His Fans Said 'I'm Done.'

Sydney Sweeney Called 'a Sellout': Campus Papers Issue Their Verdict