Sydney Sweeney Wants to Put Jeans Controversy to Rest

Sydney Sweeney is making the media rounds to promote her new movie, and she'd like to be done with a controversy that sprang up during the summer over her ad campaign for American Eagle jeans. "I was honestly surprised by the reaction," Sweeney tells People. "I don't support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren't true." One theme of criticism was that its slogan—"Sydney Sweeney has great genes"—somehow suggested genetic superiority and had a racial component, per TMZ.

In the interview to plug The Housemaid, Sweeney tells People that she doesn't typically respond publicly to bad press, but this case is different: "I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it," she said. "So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us." The 28-year-old also said that "anyone who knows me knows that I'm always trying to bring people together." Sweeney is likely to remain in the spotlight: The Guardian sees her as an "oustide bet" to win an Oscar for her performance in Christy.