The Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell story is a complete conspiracy.

It's like something out of a fairytale. Or a dream. Or, uh, a romantic comedy.

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, two very hot, charismatic, soon-to-be A-list movie stars, meeting on the set of their new film and falling for each other, or at least just really enjoying each other's company. The pair have just completed filming on Anyone But You, an upcoming — you guessed it! — rom-com with an enemies-to-lovers plot line.

Sweeney and Powell are each in relationships, which have become the internet's new favourite topics of investigation, because their chemistry is electric. They have great banter and take cute photos and did I mention they're really hot? In the eyes of the public, watching on via Instagram posts and tabloid headlines, it seems like a match made in heaven.

Watch: Speaking of flirty co-stars... Post continues below video.

Because that's the point.

They're marketing a ROM-COM, pals.

I hate to burst the fun gossip bubble, or put a pin in your outrage, but this has all the hallmarks of actors doing what they do best. Acting.

Anyone But You wrapped filming in Sydney — the city, not the person — recently, after weeks of set images gracing the homepages of entertainment sites and social media content from the cast.

With each new image, whether it's of the pair filming on a boat or enjoying a day off at the zoo, speculation that the lead actors' relationship was more than just professional ramped up.

On April 24, Sweeney and Powell attended CinemaCon, a major event on the industry calendar where studios unveil details on their upcoming, must-see box office features, to promote their film.

At the event, their (flirty) rapport continued.

"We love seeing ourselves on the big screen," Powell joked as they walked on stage.

"Oh please, Top Gun," Sweeney said with playful sarcasm, in reference to his role in Top Gun: Maverick.

"I love it when she calls me that," Powell responded.

Sweeney then insisted she thought he was his Maverick co-star Miles Teller until the fourth day of shooting.

"Sydney plays a character who's a real nightmare," Powell retorted.

"And Glen plays a character who's a real a**hole," she shot back. "His character is a real d**khead."

Powell and Sweeney on stage at CinemaCon. Image: Getty.

Their on-stage moment, which coincided with the film's title being announced, quickly became the biggest story of the conference, gracing homepages across the internet and inspiring multiple viral TikToks, all wondering the same thing: so are they cheating yes/no?

Powell has been in a relationship with model Gigi Paris since 2020. She visited him during filming in Australia in late March, but that has not stopped speculation that they have since ended things.

Around the same time as the CinemaCon outing, media noticed Paris had unfollowed Sweeney on Instagram earlier in the month, while also posting Fleetwood Mac music and quotes about trusting your gut.

Celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi then reported that Powell and Paris' relationship was on the rocks before filming even began, and given that listening to Fleetwood Mac might be the most universally known reaction to a breakup, I'm down to believe they called it quits. 

All of this news, coupled with his (very) playful rapport with Sweeney, has evolved into the perfect storm.

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A post shared by Sydney Sweeney (@sydney_sweeney)

When it comes down to it, playing up the chemistry and flirting to promote a rom-com is a tried-and-true marketing technique, because a story about two Hollywood hotties getting together on set is the kind of gossip that keeps the world — and film industry — going.

It's mostly fine (fun, even!), if stars can successfully toe the line between 'super hot, are they/are they not?' chemistry and more grimy, 'they're seriously disrespecting their partners!' sleeze.

Remember the absolute furore that was Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born press tour? It was clearly PR. But it was GLORIOUS. So fun, so juicy.

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, whose sizzling chemistry while promoting their miniseries Scenes from a Marriage, was also a masterclass. I mean, the arm sniff video? I still think about it weekly.

Then there's George Clooney and Julia Roberts, who have been fawning over each other for decades, always with a playful twinkle in their eye.

Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler! Ryan Gosling and... absolutely everyone, because no one does chemistry like Ryan Gosling. You get the point.

They went to the Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain school of promotion https://t.co/xpwlm5Wzl8

— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) April 23, 2023

But things can go bad.

They say no publicity is bad publicity, which is true for a studio hoping for a cinema hit.

But Sweeney especially, as a young woman who is currently best known for playing hyper-sexualised Cassie on Euphoria, is particularly vulnerable to negative reactions, which has led to some damage control in the wake of the CinemaCon headlines.

Sweeney is engaged to restauranteur Jonathan Davino, who she has been dating since at least 2018.

In what seems to be a direct response to the internet sleuths, on April 25 TMZ confirmed (via 'multiple sources with knowledge') that she and Davino are still together, engaged and living in Los Angeles.

TMZ is ethically questionable, but they have damn good sources. The most likely scenario here is that this came directly from Sweeney's camp, to quieten the anger simmering online about her being a possible 'home wrecker' (because chatter online had already, predictably, assumed she was the 'villain' in this collective fan-fiction).

With Anyone But You now entering post-production ahead of an unknown release date, Sweeney and Powell's attention will turn to other projects until they need to come back together for the press tour.

It will be interesting to see if, at that point, they reprise their (hot, flirty, maybe adulterous) roles.

Listen to a conversation about this very 'scandal' on The Spill, right here:

Feature image: Getty/Mamamia.

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