The Attempted Cancellation of Sydney Sweeney: Ruby Rose, Politics, and the Backlash Against ‘Christy’

It’s been a rough time for Sydney Sweeney. After “Christy” underperformed at the box office, a film she defended on Instagram by arguing that “we don’t make art only for numbers,” the star is now facing verbal attacks from Ruby Rose.

On Threads (via Variety), Rose — known for “Batwoman” and “Orange is the New Black” — who was once considered for a role in “Christy,” placed much of the blame for the flop squarely on Sweeney.

The original Christy Martin script was incredible. Life changing. I was attached to play Cherry. Everyone had experience with the core material. Most of us were actually gay. It’s part of why I stayed in acting. Losing roles happens all the time.

In the film, the character is called Rosie, inspired by Sherry Lusk, and played by Jess Garber, to whom Ruby Rose referred. Rose, a queer actress, who identifies as gender-fluid, didn’t stop there, adding:

For her PR to talk about it flopping and saying SS did it for the ‘people.’ None of ‘the people’ want to see someone who hates them, parading around pretending to be us. You’re a cretin and you ruined the film. Period. Christy deserved better.

By “hates us” Rose is clearly referring to a recent report that had Sweeney registering as a Republican during the 2024 presidential election, which has led to speculation that she voted for Trump.

Now, if it were anyone other than Rose weighing in on this issue — someone with real clout as a Hollywood actress, and not a B-level thespian — I’d take these attacks far more seriously. Yet they’ve still gained significant traction, no doubt fueled by a certain corner of the industry that wants Sweeney pushed out of their exclusive club.

Regardless, a day later, the real-life Christy Martin, who supported the project, defended Sweeney amidst the backlash. Present on set, Martin denounced the criticism against the actress who plays her:

I've always been a fighter. My life reflects it in every way and today I fight for others. In recent days I have seen people attack my friend Sydney Sweeney. Syd not only worked hard for this film, but also for me. For my story. For all those who suffer in silence. So I want to be clear about who Syd is. She is my friend and my ally.

Christy has only made $1.3M in North America, against a budget of $15M. All of the Oscar buzz that came from TIFF has dissipated, and now even Sweeney’s career has come into question, despite her having upcoming projects such as “The Housemaid,” and “Euphoria” season 3.

This whole Sweeney hatred actually started for the dumbest of reasons. In August, her American Eagle denim campaign, centering on the tagline “Great Jeans,” angered a lot of idiots. For some reason, the campaign sparked discourse about racism and… eugenics? Sweeney’s refusal to bow to the mob of detractors, predictably, sparked even more backlash.

Hollywood is unlikely to look kindly on Sweeney’s recent political choices. Registering as a Republican in today’s climate? In this industry? That’s a self-inflicted wound, whether she sees it that way or not. Her PR team is almost certainly scrambling behind the scenes, trying to get ahead of the narrative before it spins completely out of control.

There was a time when political affiliation carried less weight in Hollywood, but the Trump era changed all that. Since then, most conservative actors have kept their views private, with only a handful — Sylvester Stallone, Dennis Quaid, Scott Baio, Kevin Sorbo, Jon Voight, Zachary Levi, and Rob Schneider — openly showing support. Unsurprisingly, many of them have since been pushed to the margins, working largely in B-movies or faith-based projects.

Sweeney has chosen to refuse to apologize, declining to comment on the controversy. This is the kind of baggage that can derail almost any career. Whether Sweeney weathers it depends on the goodwill she’s built in Hollywood and whether audiences and industry insiders can separate her work from her politics. Projects could quietly be delayed or retooled if things escalate. Her career is far from over, but the coming months will be a critical test.