Kim Novak recently told the London Times that she “absolutely did not approve” of her relationship with Sidney Sweeney and David Johnson star Sammy Davis Jr. in the upcoming drama film Scandalous.
Sweeney will play Novak opposite Johnson, who plays Davis, in the film. Novak was not happy with Sweeney’s role, telling the Times that the “Anyone But You” star “sticks out way above the waist.”
Novak also worries that the film will focus too much on the sexual dynamic between her and Davis, although in reality their romance was based on “so many things in common. Sydney Sweeney always looks sexy, so there was no way it couldn’t be sexual. It was completely wrong for her to play me.”
A representative for Sweeney did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.
“Scandalous” will be helmed by Sweeney’s “Euphoria” co-star Colman Domingo and will first be released in October 2024. At the time, it was reported that Miramax was moving the project forward at a rapid pace, with the aim of filming after the end of Euphoria season 3.
Although Novak remains nervous about “Scandalous,” Sweeney told People in October 2025 that he was “incredibly honored” to star in the film.
“I think her story is still very relevant today in that it dealt with Hollywood and the intense scrutiny it takes on relationships and personal life and controlling one’s image,” she said. “And for me, I think it relates to this movie in a lot of different ways.”
Novak and Davis first met in 1956 when they appeared as guests on “The Steve Allen Show.” The two continued to meet regularly over the next year, with Davis visiting the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. The two met again at a Thanksgiving charity ball in California and ended up spending the holidays together.
In 1958, their relationship became public when a Chicago columnist published an article about Davis and Novak’s relationship, claiming that the two might soon marry. Novak denied that account, and a few days later, Davis married Loray White. Their relationship lasted only one year. Novak married Richard Johnson in 1965. The two later divorced, but remarried until Malloy’s death in 1976.
