Sydney Sweeney Follows In Footsteps Of Co-Star Dakota Johnson And Lampoons ‘Madame Web’ On ‘Saturday Night Live’

Sydney Sweeney Monologue - SNL via Saturday Night Live YouTube channel
Sydney Sweeney Monologue - SNL via Saturday Night Live YouTube channel

Madame Web can’t catch a break and most would agree that’s deserved. The film is more of an awful mess than Doc Brown’s lab and the Multiverse combined – and everyone including its cast knows it.

Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced) plays a role in the downfall of Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim) in Madame Web (2024), Sony Pictures
Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced) plays a role in the downfall of Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim) in Madame Web (2024), Sony Pictures

RELATED: ‘Madame Web’ Star Dakota Johnson Slams Greed, Ineptitude Of Hollywood Execs: “You Cannot Make Art Based On Numbers And Algorithms”

It wasn’t too long ago that its lead Dakota Johnson joked about the film in her monologue when she was the guest host of Saturday Night Live. Though she hasn’t seen it nor a reason to, Johnson said it was like “AI generated your boyfriend’s perfect movie.”

That may be true in terms of the cast, not the story or direction – but to digress, Johnson’s co-star Sydney Sweeney also had the simultaneous opportunity to poke fun at Madame Web and host SNL this month.

Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney) traps Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim) in her web in Madame Web (2024), Sony Pictures
Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney) traps Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim) in her web in Madame Web (2024), Sony Pictures

Sweeney, in her monologue, mentioned her more noteworthy works of the last few years. “You might have seen me in Anyone But You or Euphoria – you definitely did not see me in Madame Web,” she said.

Some of us here had to as a duty to our readers. Others took their kids, but if you fit the mold of the key female demo Sony was going for, you surely didn’t watch Sweeney in her nondescript background-player rendition of Julia Carpenter – the most prominent Spider-Woman of the 90s.

RELATED: Former Superman Actor Dean Cain Responds To Chris Stuckmann’s ‘Madame Web’ Non-Review 

What is definite and for sure in this case is Sweeney and Johnson are distancing themselves from the fiasco – and frankly the meme – that Madame Web became. There is a hefty amount of damage control being done by the latter, too, which we have recounted.

“Unfortunately, I’m not surprised that this has gone down the way it has,” Johnson began in a conversation she had with Charlotte Owen of Bustle.

Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and Celeste O'Connor in Madame Web (2024), Sony Pictures
Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and Celeste O’Connor in Madame Web (2024), Sony Pictures

“It’s so hard to get movies made, and in these big movies that get made — and it’s even starting to happen with the little ones, which is what’s really freaking me out — decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee,” Johnson added.

Owen and Johnson’s conversation continued and it went down a similar path Chris Stuckmann took in his now notorious critique of the system that produced Madame Web.

Their shared arguments have merit, but we shouldn’t be remiss and absolve the filmmaker completely. Films fall apart far too often because their director doesn’t have enough experience. Josh Brolin pointed out this very thing when recalling his work on Jonah Hex.

Dakota Johnson talks 'Madame Web' with MTV's Josh Horowitz (2024), MTV
Dakota Johnson talks ‘Madame Web’ with MTV’s Josh Horowitz (2024), MTV

RELATED: Fueling Rumors Of Friction With Sony, Dakota Johnson Says She Hasn’t Watched ‘Madame Web’ And “Probably Won’t”

Fans don’t overlook this and have no problem generally roasting a director or actor they thought was no good – in this case, Johnson. What’s more, their skewering on social media shows no sign of cessation.

“She’s [Johnson] never doing a superhero film ever again,” podcaster Matt Jarbo remarked.

“I mean there’s one thing about phoning it in and just taking a check but cmon. At least pretend like you care somewhat…like why’d she even take the role anyways. It’s not like Nepo baby was gonna run outta money,” wrote Twitter/X user Mandusa.

Screenshot - Mandusa Web
Mandusa (@SadCrowXO) via Twitter (X)

“[This] is a bad look. [She] should at least somewhat understand what she’s getting into when taking a role,” posted another user going by Zay.

Screenshot - Bad look
Zay (@rollupmywrist) via Twitter (X)

Those posts merely scratch the surface of what the Internet is saying about Madame Web and Dakota Johnson, but you get the idea and we have to put a button on this at some point.

NEXT: ‘Madame Web’ Gets Squished, Posts Worse Opening Day Box Office Than ‘Morbius’ And ‘The Marvels’

Mentioned In This Article:

More About: