Is ‘The Naked Gun’ Borrowing Its Marketing Strategy From Sydney Sweeney?

We’re less than two weeks away from the release of the new Naked Gun reboot starring Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson and the ghost of O.J. Simpson, who we assume was haunting the set at all times. 

Naturally, there’s a big promotional push for the movie, including the announcement of a new novelty popcorn bucket shaped like a 37-year-old dirty joke.

But is it also possible that Neeson and company have launched a stealth marketing strategy inspired by Sydney Sweeney?

Before we’d even seen a frame of the new Naked Gun movie, back in October 2024, Liam Neeson told People Magazine that he’d fallen “madly in love” with Anderson. The Baywatch star returned the compliment, calling Neeson the “perfect gentleman.”

More recently, the co-stars have been really leaning into their behind-the-scenes bond, including for a promo in which the pair are asked by a reporter about how they built their on-screen chemistry. We then see, via flashback, that it involved going on dinner dates, dancing and making out while watching volcanic eruptions. “Just the usual,” Anderson wistfully remarks.

That was obviously just a goofy joke, but Anderson also said of their relationship, “I have a friend forever in Liam. We definitely have a connection that is very sincere, very loving, and he’s a good guy.” Romantic rumors about the two really took off following the publication of an interview with You Magazine. Neeson claimed his favorite part of the movie was shooting the “sex scenes” with Anderson, who then added that the production’s intimacy coordinator “knew when to walk away.” 

“She said, ‘This is too hot for me. I’m going for coffee,’” Neeson joked. 

Now the internet is practically overflowing with rumors that the stars of The Naked Gun are secretly dating in real life.

Romantic rumors involving cinematic co-stars is nothing new, but this whole thing feels oddly familiar to the lead-up to 2023’s Anyone But You. Prior to the release of the movie, there was rampant speculation that the two stars, Sweeney and co-star Glen Powell, were having an affair. But they later revealed that much of their “real life” flirtation was an act that Sweeney concocted to help promote the movie. “That’s people wanting what’s on the screen off the screen, and sometimes you just have to lean into it a bit,” Powell explained. “And it worked wonderfully.” 

Yes, the movie was a huge box office hit, thanks in part to the rumors, and also because Mr. Bean declined to sue.

Of course, both Powell and Sweeney subsequently ended their long-term relationships, with Powell’s ex claiming that she was “shattered” by the rumors. And now people once again believe that the two actors are dating.

So even if it began as a way to sell The Naked Gun, there’s still a chance that Liam Neeson is genuinely taken with Pamela Anderson.