#pr disaster

I have been Anon informed that my opinion on anything that happened before December is invalid, so let's talk about the Big Issue of the day: Baby Daddy Stan. Or at the very least, the handling of the entire situation from a PR perspective. Because it's been divisive, although primarily down the same Shipper/ Anti-Shipper lines most things seem to be these days.

Now, I will be posting and talking about paparazzi images in this, and I cannot stress enough that I feel disgusting doing so, but I've got them from other blogs on here instead of from the outlets themselves so it feels slightly more forgivable in my head, and as I believe these absolutely are pap walks, that makes it feel more forgivable too. It's not privacy invasion if you organised the paps to photograph you, as I've said. I will also be discussing parts of this that are inconsistent, and a big part of that is Annabelles bump. This is not to body shame her, I need that to be very clear, but simply to talk about how things do or do not line up.

Note: This post is focused on press strategy and studio optics surrounding the Materialists rollout, particularly in relation to Chris Evans' current PR climate. It’s not a commentary on individual careers, popularity, or broader casting discourse or a stan war between Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans! Please keep replies on topic—derailing comments will be removed to maintain the clarity and intention of the discussion. 🩶

Hi People, I wasn’t planning to write about this at first—it just kind of unfolded in real time while I was paying attention. But the more I watched the early promo for Materialists, the more it became clear that something deliberate was happening behind the scenes. And once I noticed the pattern, I couldn’t unsee it.

This isn’t just a typical press rollout. It’s a carefully constructed narrative shift, and Pedro is at the center of it for a reason. So I wanted to take a minute to share my thoughts on what I think is really going on here—from the casting of the press tour itself to the wider implications around visibility, timing, and reputation management.

Pedro kicking off the Materialists press tour might seem casual on the surface, but it’s actually a highly strategic move—one that says more about the current industry temperature than any official announcement ever could. He’s not just a co-star; right now, Pedro is a trusted face in Hollywood.

Between The Last of Us, The Mandalorian, and his upcoming Marvel projects, he’s carved out a space as the media-safe golden boy—charming, grounded, and nearly impossible to trip up in interviews. That kind of press value isn’t just convenient, it’s critical when a studio is trying to steer attention away from a controversy-laced lead. By launching the campaign with Pedro front and center, they’re creating a high-energy, low-risk promotional environment—one that buys them time and goodwill before they reintroduce the more polarizing figures attached to the project.

It’s no secret that Chris’s public image has been shaky for a while now. The combination of PR fatigue, a divided fan base, and increasingly obvious narrative manipulation has made him a liability when it comes to early-stage promo. Studios know better than to hand someone the mic when the audience hasn’t fully forgiven—or forgotten. If anything, putting him front and center too soon would risk derailing the entire campaign. And Dakota, while beloved in her own way, isn’t the kind of press tour anchor you can rely on solo. Her offbeat interview style only really works when she has a co-star to play off of, someone who can subtly course-correct when things get too weird. Pedro does that effortlessly. He’s not just there to sell the film—he’s a stabilizer. He makes the room feel safe, the press feel fun, and the headlines stay on message.

But beyond just optics and personality dynamics, this feels like a deliberate temperature check. A soft open. Studios are watching engagement right now—gauging reactions, tracking sentiment, deciding whether or not the public is ready to see Chris again in a central role. If Pedro draws strong coverage and the project gains traction without triggering drama, then—and only then—will they consider letting Chris step into the spotlight. If it doesn’t go well? They’ll pivot. Quietly. This is the part of the strategy where nothing is said out loud, but everything is being tested.

What we’re watching is not a normal press rollout. It’s a calculated reset. A reputation recalibration happening in real time, with Pedro as both the face of the project and the buffer shielding it from deeper scrutiny. And when you look at it like that, this isn’t just about promotion—it’s about rebuilding credibility. Carefully, methodically, and without drawing too much attention to the effort itself.

He still has to put on this front that he's happily "married' when deep down, he's fed up, and he looks like he's just given up. This is a disaster of a PR stunt that has more holes than Swiss cheese, and has violated US immigration laws.

Now, we are seeing the consequences of these actions. Chris's body language, his personality changes, and the fact that Trash was investigated by the USICS for immigration fraud and visa fraud and has been banned from the US, and that Meg is being investigated by the USICS. No, you don't claim to be living in the States when you're spending 99.999% of your time in Portugal.

It sadly, didn't have to come to this. All for some count chasing, attention seeking nobody!

Oh dear. This has to be one of the worst PR disasters they could have imagined.

Apart from my own personal belifs with Sydney Sweeny, I am absoulutly expecting a train wreck from the promotion and reaction to her new movie Christy.

Christy Martin's was a professional boxer who was groomed and abused by her coach and husband, who was 25 years older than her and would attempt to murder her at the end of their marriage. It also involves Christy coming into her sexuality as a queer woman. Christy's story is incredibley complex and emotional, Christy was a influence to little girls while living through a horrific time herself and she deserves to be treated with respect through this movie and continue to be a influence to girls and women.

Personally, I lack a sense of concern with the actual movie being adapted innapropriatly. Despite her questionable marketing techniques, Sweeny is a talented actress. Some of her most popular works may have a underlying writing theme of soft core, but Sweeny creates a compelling character despite it. Her performance in a Handmaids Tale 2017 and Immaculate 2024, I believe show her talents more appropriately instead of a insert piece of blond with big breast. In relation to Christy its even more compelignt to me as a truly respect this womans ability to play a repressed and slightly disturbed queer woman (see Clementine 2019, and Everything Sucks 2018)

While I am not really concerned with the final product of the movie, I’m waiting till it’s release to form a opinion, it does fill me with a sense of dread to think about the response to this movie. I may like Sweeny’s acting and do enjoy many of the projects shes worked on, but I loath to discuss Sweeny, which I am fully aware is a ironic sentence conisidering this entire piece.

Sweeny’s carrer and stardem is one large contradiction, she works in the most popular movies and tv shows, sans madam web, has audiences praising her acting capabilities, 

and then she stars in a Old Spice add. 

And then a Hey Dudes add. 

And then a dog whistle American Eagle add reminiscent of another certain jeans add circa 1980. 

I do not subscribe to the idea that Sweeny is some kind of marketing genius but I do believe Sweeny became increasingly profitable for companies because her ability to cater to a variety of markets. 

She fits into a artsy indy role, a cinicale but ultimately charming rom com lead, a psychotic cruel highschooler, a nun, a cult member, and apparently a super hero. I do not deny Sweenys appeal and marketing capabilities. She is a glamorous actress, a cool girl who fixes cars in her spare time, a hot woman, and PR nightmare. It seems that there was a thought that “Everyone Loves Sydney, so lets put Sydney every where,” and this is her and her teams fatal flaw.

Real stars are supposed to be exclusive, though in todays land scape audiences can’t seem to decide whether they want to see a exclusive star or a relatable down to earth person who just stumbled into a studio one day and fell into a box office smashing movie. That’s why now its up to stars, and more likely their agents and PR teams, to decide what they will be. That is Sweeny’s problem, she is both and neither at the same time. She works in amazing projects but her marketing reduces and cheapens her into a every day girl who is conventionally attractive. 

I believe this is going to cheapen Christy as well. Christy can be a amazing movie that beats anything else out of the water but no one is going to care. Its hard enough to make audiences care about stories about women, much less a queer woman who is a abuse victim. Now with Sweenys reputation the movie will simultaneously be treated has a hot girl on girl prelude and a queer baiting disrespect to the actual Christy Turlington. It doesnt matter how the movie comes out because no one cares about the movie, they just care about Sydney.

Despite what ever you think about Sydney and her questionable marketing and presented ethics, you can understand that she has made one very critical mistake in her carrer, her lack of a niche. While on a personal level I can respect this, I mean why should she have to be conformed to a set way of living her life apart from her job? But from a marketing and PR perspective, its a career destined to crash and burn. Sydney stars in works that cater to a female and indy audience, and she is great at it. But outside of her movies she’s a guy’s-girl blond? It makes no sense, she has no transferable audience.