As you may know, Madame Web — which takes place in the Spider-Man universe — was not the Spidey success that Sony had been hoping for, debuting with one of the worst box office openings for a superhero movie ever.
Since the movie’s release on Valentine’s Day, its stars have publicly addressed the poor performance, with Madame Web herself, Dakota Johnson, telling Bustle that she “unfortunately” wasn’t “surprised” that it failed miserably.
And while Sydney previously brushed off the backlash during an interview with the LA Times, she’s now making it clear that she has absolutely no regrets about being a part of Madame Web — even if it wasn’t the blockbuster hit she’d been hoping for.
“To me that film was a building block, it’s what allowed me to build a relationship with Sony,” she told GQ in a brand new interview, talking candidly about the career opportunities she gained from saying yes to the film.
Away from Madame Web, Sydney’s had a very successful career — not only as an actor, but as a producer too, launching her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films, in hopes of uplifting other female creators.
Later down the line, Sydney is set to star in a new Barbarella remake for Sony, and while talking to GQ, she emphasized that a lot of this wouldn’t have been possible without the connections she forged while making Madame Web.
So, off the back of these quotes, more people are beginning to recognise Sydney for her skills behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera, with many hailing her “smart moves” online.
Notably, people have compared Sydney to the likes of Margot Robbie and Reese Witherspoon, who’ve also used their platforms as actors to become heavyweight producers in Hollywood.
And amid the commentary, plenty of people were quick to point out that Sydney’s skills shouldn’t come as a surprise in light of the fact that she’s previously talked about her decision to study business alongside an acting career.
Growing up with a mom who’s a lawyer, and a dad who worked in the medical field, Sydney said she was taught to prioritize her education, and she knew a business degree might help her out in the acting world too.
Watch out Hollywood, it looks like Sydney’s one step ahead. You can read her full GQ interview here.