Kim Novak Raises Red Flag Over Sydney Sweeney Biopic Scandalous, Says Romance With Sammy Davis Jr. Was Not About Shock Value

Kim Novak is not here for a splashy rewrite of her life, and she is saying it plainly: she is concerned about how her relationship with Sammy Davis Jr. will be framed in the Sydney Sweeney-led biopic Scandalous.

I’m Avery Sinclair. Another glittery Hollywood “based on a true story” is headed for the hype machine, and yes, I brought a sieve for the spin.

Novak, 92 and still sharper than a studio press release, told The Guardian that she does not buy the premise that her late 1950s romance with Davis was some lurid scandal begging for steamy retellings. “I don’t think the relationship was scandalous,” she said, adding that Davis was “somebody I really cared about.” Her bigger worry is not subtle: “I’m concerned they’re going to make it all sexual reasons.” Translation for the marketing team: less bodice-ripping, more truth.

Here are the basics the movie is selling. Scandalous is set to star Sydney Sweeney as Novak and David Jonsson as Davis, with Colman Domingo making his directorial debut. The film tracks their mid-century relationship, the one that collided with Hollywood’s image control and America’s racial politics at full speed. They began seeing each other in 1957, then the hammer allegedly dropped. Columbia Pictures boss Harry Cohn, the era’s poster executive for fear and favor, pushed for a breakup. Smithsonian Magazine reported in 2017 that Davis was threatened with violent retribution if he did not abandon Novak and marry a Black woman within 48 hours. He wed Loray White in 1958. It lasted about a year. The timeline is not romantic, but it is very well documented.

Novak’s manager, Sue Cameron, backed that reality check last year, telling People that there had been multiple unauthorized projects circling and that Novak wants accuracy, not pulp. Cameron also emphasized that Novak did not want marriage at the time and that the relationship was grounded in love, respect, and a shared rebellious streak. Add it up and you get something more complicated than a headline-friendly fling. That observation is inconvenient for a film titled Scandalous, but helpful if the goal is to make a film worth remembering.

And yes, Sweeney is already leaning into the aesthetic, turning up at the 2025 Met Gala in a black, sparkling Miu Miu gown that echoed Novak’s classic silhouettes. Cute nod. But a gown is not a narrative. The question is whether the movie will confront the ugliest pressures of the era or settle for perfume-ad lighting and a few swoony montages.

Let’s talk framing, because words matter. Novak says she wants her story treated as a human connection that challenged bias, not a salacious sideshow. The Guardian interview anchors her concern, and the Smithsonian record underlines the stakes with historical reporting on the threats tied to studio power and mob-adjacent muscle. That is the real scandal, if we are using words responsibly. Meanwhile, People’s reporting through Cameron clarifies Novak’s intent and calls out the cottage industry of unapproved pitches that tried to rewrite her history without her consent. Three separate sources, one consistent through line.

For context that does not flatter the mythmakers: Novak married Richard Johnson in 1965 and split within months, then married Robert Malloy in 1976 and stayed with him until his death. Davis died in 1990 at 64 after a towering career that outlived anyone’s attempts to box him in. These are not bullet points for a tabloid treatment. They are the contours of two people living under relentless scrutiny, forced to navigate a business that liked to pretend risk did not exist until it was time to cash in on it.

So where does that leave Scandalous, aiming for a 2026 release? With a creative fork in the road. Option one: dig into the systems that policed interracial love in 1950s Hollywood and show how fear shaped fates. Option two: mist the lens, turn up the strings, and pretend the title is the story. Novak has already told you which version she will co-sign. If the filmmakers are smart, they will listen to the person who lived it.

Until then, keep an eye on how the production talks about “forbidden romance.” If that phrase is doing more heavy lifting than the historical record, you will know what kind of movie you are getting. And if they actually bring receipts, you might get something real. Nothing shocking here, folks. Let’s all act surprised when marketing discovers nuance.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, People Magazine, New York Post
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