A Hollywood producer called Sydney Sweeney 'ugly and untalented'. She just responded.

Without a doubt, Sydney Sweeney is one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood right now.

From her unexpected rom-com blockbuster Anyone But You to her superhero pivot in Madame Web, and now a new horror movie, Immaculate, — which she's starring in and a producer on — Sweeney is everywhere.

But not everyone is a fan.

In a rather strange hill to die on, Hollywood producer Carol Baum has decided to declare that the Euphoria star is "not pretty" and "can’t act".

Errr, okay.

Baum — who is famed for her work on Father of the Bride and the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie — made the comments during a seminar in Pleasantville, New York, where she recounted a conversation with some acting students.

Image: Instagram/Carol Baum.

 "There's an actress who everybody loves now: Sydney Sweeney," she began. "I don't get Sydney Sweeney. I was watching on the plane Sydney Sweeney's movie [Anyone but You] because I wanted to watch it. I wanted to know who she is and why everybody's talking about her. 

"I watched this unwatchable movie... I said to my class, 'Explain this girl to me. She's not pretty, she can't act. Why is she so hot?' Nobody had an answer."

Baum went on to claim that Sydney gets hired for so many roles because she's a bankable star. "But then the question was asked, 'Well, if you could get your movie made because she was in it, would you do it?' That’s a very hard question to answer because we all want to get the movie made and who walks away from a green light? Nobody I know. Your job is to get the movie made."

While this conversation was more nuanced than the salacious headlines it inspired, it's still an uncomfortable experience hearing a woman reduce another woman to her physical appearance when assessing her worthiness. 

Sweeney's acting chops are, of course, subject to one's personal opinion — she might not be for everyone and that's okay. But the whole "she's not pretty... why is she so hot? Nobody had an answer," is a particularly demeaning comment to make to a group of students — then shared at a public event — about a 26-year-old woman just getting her start in Hollywood.

And Sweeney isn't taking it lying down, issuing a response to Baum's controversial remarks.

Sydney Sweeney at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. Image: Getty.

"How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman," her representative said in a statement to Variety.

"If that's what she's learned in her decades in the industry and feels is appropriate to teach to her students, that's shameful. To unjustly disparage a fellow female producer speaks volumes about Ms Baum's character."

A producer on Immaculate, Teddy Schwartzmann, also clapped back at Baum. "I'll enlighten Ms Baum that two-time Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney is not only one of the most talented actresses I've worked with, but also incredibly smart, kind and humble," he commented on X.

"I'm not sure why someone who claims to still be a producer would make such terribly ugly comments, but I can assure everyone that Sydney is at least beautiful on the inside."

Following the initial controversy, Baum said she regrets her comments. She told TMZ that "crapping on an actor like that" in public "usually isn't her style". 

Feature image: Getty.