Sydney Sweeney is once again at the center of attention after stripping down for a provocative new advertising campaign, but the story behind the viral commercial is not quite what many people expected.
The 28-year-old Euphoria star appears in a new campaign for Novig, a sports-focused prediction market, wearing little to nothing while strategically using footballs, hockey equipment, tennis rackets and other sporting gear to cover herself.
However, Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky says it was actually Sweeney who approached the company about working together.
According to Fortinsky, the actress had become uncomfortable with other prediction platforms creating markets involving highly personal and bizarre questions about celebrities, including predictions about what color underwear she might wear. Sweeney apparently found Novig's sports-only approach more appealing.
That conversation eventually resulted in more than a traditional celebrity endorsement.
Sweeney became a strategic partner and equity holder in Novig, meaning she has an ownership stake in the company rather than simply being paid to appear in its advertisements.
The resulting campaign certainly succeeded in getting people talking.
In the commercial, Sweeney uses various pieces of sports equipment to maintain her modesty while promoting Novig's focus exclusively on sports. The actress emphasizes that the platform does not offer markets involving politics, wars or deaths, differentiating it from some of its larger competitors.
Sweeney also appears to have been heavily involved in developing the campaign.
She told Complex that she does not like simply putting her face on a product and described the concept as playful and straightforward. Her own connection to sports also made the partnership more natural, as she grew up participating in soccer, softball, skiing, wakeboarding and MMA.
The provocative campaign quickly gained traction online. The Novig post featuring Sweeney attracted millions of views on X, helping introduce the relatively new platform to a much larger audience.
The campaign has also generated criticism, both for its provocative imagery and for Sweeney's decision to promote a prediction market. Some social media users questioned why the actress continues to use sexuality in major advertising campaigns, while others criticized celebrity involvement in sports prediction platforms more broadly.
For Novig, however, the attention appears to be exactly what the company wanted.
Fortinsky said Sweeney has an ability to captivate audiences and suggested that partnering with one of Hollywood's most talked-about stars had immediately pushed Novig into the national conversation.
And this apparently will not be Sweeney's only campaign for the company. Fortinsky said the actress is expected to return for another campaign focused on responsible trading.