Sydney Sweeney refuses to apologize for American Eagle jeans ad in new interview.
GQ: The risk is that there’s a chance that somebody will get some idea about what you think about certain issues. Do you worry about that?
Sweeney: No.
GQ: The criticisms were that maybe white people shouldn’t joke about genetic superiority – I just wanted to allow you to talk about that specifically.
Sweeney: I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.

Sydney Sweeney has now given a statement in response to the American Eagle backlash that she faced this year.

Sydney Sweeney is no stranger to making headlines at this point in her career. As Sweeney continues to work in movies, television, and the commercial industries – she has been the subject of both positive and negative conversations. In fact, her ad campaign with American Eagle led to quite a bit of controversy, and now Sydney Sweeney has issued a statement on that front.

Sweeney, whose credits include the hit HBO series Euphoria, the ill-fated Spider-Man spin-off Madame Web, and the upcoming biopic Christy, recently participated in an interview with GQ Magazine. Their discussion eventually turned towards the American Eagle campaign, and according to Sweeney, the backlash “didn’t affect me one way or the other.” She also said Trump’s comment on the matter was “surreal.”

Here’s what Sweeney said in full on the subject via GQ:

“I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life… I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans, it didn’t affect me one way or the other,” Sweeney shared.

“I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think… I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I’m a kind person. I know that I love a lot, and I know that I’m just excited to see what happens next. And so I don’t really let other people define who I am.”

It’s certainly admirable for Sydney Sweeney to simply acknowledge that for her American Eagle was just another job – one that she took because she enjoys wearing jeans. Of course, it’s likely that conversations about the ad campaign will continue – but Sweeney has finally given her two cents on the matter.

Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding Sydney Sweeney and her career as we have them. With a number of high-profile projects in the works, including a revival of the sci-fi cult classic Barbarella, it’ll be interesting to see where she heads next with her career.