Kim Novak, one of the most iconic actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age, is speaking out about the upcoming biopic that dramatizes her brief but deeply personal relationship with Rat Pack legend Sammy Davis Jr. In a new interview, the Vertigo star revealed she is uneasy with the direction of the film, particularly its provocative title: Scandalous! It’s the latest issue for Sydney Sweeney who seems to attract attention wherever she goes.
“I don’t think the relationship was scandalous,” Novak said. “He’s somebody I really cared about. We had so much in common, including that need to be accepted for who we are and what we do, rather than how we look. But I’m concerned they’re going to make it all sexual reasons.”
Novak and Davis Jr. first crossed paths in 1956 during a joint appearance on The Steve Allen Show. Their connection quickly blossomed into a romance, but at a time when interracial relationships were not only taboo but illegal in many states due to anti-miscegenation laws, secrecy was the only option.
That secrecy didn’t last long. When Columbia Pictures boss Harry Cohn learned of the affair, he reportedly threatened Davis Jr. with mob retaliation, insisting that Novak’s relationship with a Black man would damage her box office draw. Under pressure, the couple ended things, their story relegated to whispers until now.
Sydney Sweeney and Colman Domingo Take the Lead
The film adaptation, produced by Miramax, will mark Colman Domingo’s directorial debut. David Jonsson (Industry) has been cast as Davis Jr., while Sweeney — already a lightning rod of media attention due to her various off-screen controversies — will step into Novak’s shoes.
Domingo has described the project as a love story at its core, telling Deadline last year: “Hopefully we’ll make a beautiful, sweet film that’s really about the possibility of love, but under many eyes, trying to have privacy, trying to have love, trying to have a life. And I think it’s something that Sydney and I both know very well.” Production is slated to begin in late 2025, after Euphoria Season 3 wraps.
Now 91, Novak is being honored with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival, where a new documentary, Kim Novak’s Vertigo by Alexandre Philippe, is also set to premiere. But now, she will brace herself the latest Sweeney storm to come down and this time, it’s on her life story.
Sydney Sweeney at Paris Fashion Week 2024
Birthdate
September 12, 1997
Birthplace
Washington, USA