Halsey is standing by her new film Americana as co-star Sydney Sweeney faces controversy over a recent American Eagle ad campaign.
The 30-year-old singer and actress, who stars in the crime thriller alongside Sweeney, took to social media on Thursday (Aug. 21) to show support for the Tony Tost-directed feature, which has become the subject of online debate amid calls for boycotts tied to Sweeney’s involvement.
“You should go see this movie,” Halsey wrote on her Instagram Story, sharing a poster for Americana, according to screenshots published by Page Six. “Because @tonytost made an exceptional film, in honor of a genre he knows intimately. Because his work and his vision are greater than the 24 hr gossip tabloid denim bulls—t.”
The “Without Me” singer continued, “He’s an incredible artist who made a great film with a group of hardworking, talented people. If you love cinema, than you should know that cinema comes first. This is cinema.”
Halsey’s remarks appear to address the backlash over Sweeney’s recent American Eagle campaign, which launched in late July. The ad features the Euphoria star using the phrases “great jeans” and “great genes” interchangeably. Critics online called the messaging tone-deaf, especially given its emphasis on Sweeney’s blue eyes and blonde hair — imagery some likened to racist and eugenicist propaganda from the WWII era.
“I do agree that our words are important in this climate,” Halsey wrote in a second post. “I don’t, however, think that it’s fair for the news cycle to predatorily rip a hardworking director and his hardworking crew for this film that is completely separate-from and unrelated-to a (pretty dumb) advertising take.”
She closed, writing, “If it’s not clear who the actual people I’m standing up for are, I’m sorry look closer.”
Americana, which follows a group of characters in pursuit of a rare Native American artifact, earned a disappointing $500,000 from its Aug. 15 launch in more than 1,100 theaters, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The cast also includes Paul Walter Hauser, Eric Dane, Zahn McClarnon and Simon Rex.
Director Tony Tost, making his feature debut, addressed the surrounding controversy on X a day before the film’s release.
“One of the great things about movies is that they outlive the zeitgeist into which they were released,” he wrote. “As someone whose first film sorta got gobbled up by the zeitgeist, I’ll be curious to see how it’ll stand up after this moment is over. Hopefully fairly well!”
Sweeney had not commented on the controversy at press time. It marks the second time in recent months the White Lotus alum has come under fire for an ad campaign. In June, she partnered with Dr. Squatch on a bar soap made with her actual bathwater, an idea that was widely criticized as antifeminist and exploitative.
