Following the lackluster theatrical debut of her and Sydney Sweeney’s Americana, Halsey defends the film amid calls for boycott.
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The singer took to social media late last week to speak out about Tony Tost’s film. Many have called for a boycott of Americana amid the backlash over Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans ad.
“You should go see this movie,” she wrote in her Instagram Stories, per Page Six. “Because Tony Tost made an exceptional film, in honor of a genre he knows intimately. Because his work and his vision are greater than the 24 hr gossip tabloid denim bulls—.”
Halsey continued by praising Tost. “He’s an incredible artist who made a great film with a group of hardworking, talented people. If you love cinema, than you should know that cinema comes first. This is cinema.”
Seemingly addressing Sweeney and the American Eagle ad, Halsey wrote in a second post, “I do agree that our words are important in this climate. I don’t, however, think that it’s fair for the news cycle to predatorily rip a hardworking director and his hardworking crew for this film that is completely separate – from and unrelated – to a (pretty dumb) advertising take.”
She wrapped up by adding, “If it’s not clear who the actual people I’m standing up for are, I’m sorry look closer.”
Americana made its theatrical debut in more than 1,100 theaters on Aug. 15 and only earned $500,000 in its opening weekend.
According to IMDb, the film follows the lives of local outsiders and outcasts who are violently intertwined when a rare Lakota Ghost Shirt falls onto the black market in a small South Dakota town.
Starring alongside Sweeney and Halsey in the film are Paul Walter Hauser, Eric Dane, and Joe Adler.
Tony Tost Also Defends Americana Amid Calls for Boycott
Meanwhile, Tony Tost defended Americana and addressed the controversy in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“One of the great things about movies is that they outlive the zeitgeist into which they were released,” he stated. “As someone whose first film sorta got gobbled up by the zeitgeist, I’ll be curious to see how it’ll stand up after this moment is over. Hopefully fairly well!”
He then reflected on the process of making his first featured film. “Way back in 2022, I decided to use letterboxd as a way to publicly journal the post-production process on Americana. Why? I dunno. Seemed like a fun thing to do. Even back then, I knew I was creating a ‘hidden gem’ type movie (as opposed to a blockbuster, or auteur masterpiece).”
Tost further shared that he has told others that before he made the film, his ideal directing career was to “string together” a series of minor “gems.”
“One picture in — I don’t know if a minor gem career is feasible these days,” he added. “I think I’ve got to swing either bigger or smaller. Excited for people to find Americana in the days/weeks/months/years to come. But also trying to internalize the many lessons learned from swing #1.’