Famous singer backs Sydney Sweeney’s film as debate grows

Halsey is standing up for Americana, the new film she stars in alongside Sydney Sweeney, after its disappointing box office debut.

Directed by first-time filmmaker Tony Tost, Americana brought in just $500,000 during its opening weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter. On August 21, Halsey, 30, took to her Instagram Stories to encourage fans to look beyond the media noise and appreciate the film for what it truly is.

“You should go see this movie,” she wrote, according to E! News. “@tonytost made an exceptional film, honoring a genre he knows deeply. His work and vision are far more important than the 24-hour tabloid denim nonsense. He’s a brilliant artist who created something meaningful alongside a team of talented, hardworking people. If you love cinema, then cinema should come first. This is cinema.”

Halsey also addressed the backlash surrounding Sweeney’s recent American Eagle campaign, which has been criticized for using a “jeans/genes” pun some found offensive or overly sexualized. The campaign featured Sweeney saying, “My body’s composition is determined by my genes. Hey, eyes up here,” while the camera focused on her body. Other videos included lines like, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring… My jeans are blue,” which drew online criticism, with some extreme comparisons being made to "Nazi propaganda."

While Halsey acknowledged that language and messaging matter—especially in today’s climate—she pushed back on the idea that the controversy around the ad campaign should impact perceptions of the film.

“I don’t think it’s fair for the news cycle to predatorily target a hardworking director and his team over a film that has nothing to do with a (pretty dumb) marketing idea,” she added.

American Eagle responded to the backlash on August 1 via Instagram, stating: “‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way.”