Overview
- Novak, 93, told The Times on Friday that she would never have approved Sydney Sweeney playing her and called the casting totally wrong.
- She said Sweeney "sticks out so much above the waist" and warned the actor’s "sexy" image would push the story toward sex rather than shared connection.
- Scandalous! is planned as Colman Domingo’s directorial debut with Sweeney as star and producer and David Jonsson as Sammy Davis Jr., yet outlets report the film’s development has stalled with no dates set.
- Novak has objected before to the title and focus, saying her 1957 romance with Davis grew from common ground, and she affirmed accounts that Columbia boss Harry Cohn threatened Davis to end the relationship.
- Sweeney has not responded to the latest remarks; in 2025 she said she felt incredibly honored to portray Novak, and Domingo has described the intended film as a tender love story about privacy and humanity.