Sydney Chandler Speaks Out: Behind the Variety Cover Scandal

Sydney Chandler Spills the Tea on Variety Scandal: "I Was Uncomfortable, Not a Dealbreaker"

In a shocking turn of events, actress Sydney Chandler has finally broken her silence about the behind-the-scenes drama that led to her being booted from the cover of Variety magazine. The 29-year-old actress, daughter of Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler, opened up to Entertainment Weekly about the controversy in an exclusive interview.

The scandal began when Variety's editor-in-chief, Ramin Setoodeh, asked Chandler to participate in a "How Well Do They Know Each Other?" game with her co-stars from Alien: Earth, Timothy Olyphant and showrunner Noah Hawley. The game would be filmed and used for social media content. However, Chandler politely declined, citing that she felt uncomfortable with the idea.

"I really wanted to be there for the photo shoot, and I was ready to talk anything and everything Alien," Chandler explained. "I did not know at the time it was a dealbreaker, to [not] do a game and personal question thing." She continued, "Again, new to this; I haven't done something like that before. I felt uncomfortable doing something like that."

But Variety's response was far from apologetic. They claimed that Chandler pulled out of the cover shoot on the morning of the booking, leaving Olyphant and Hawley to do the cover without her. However, Chandler insists that she was never formally invited to participate in the game, and only offered alternative ideas, such as a breakdown of the Alien: Earth trailer.

The "How Well Do They Know Each Other?" game is a Variety staple, but it seems that not all A-listers are comfortable with it. Previous participants include Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, but Chandler drew the line at playing along.

"It was really unfortunate," Chandler said, reflecting on the situation. "I never meant to offend." But offends she did, at least according to Variety's account of events.

Variety's Editor-in-Chief Ramin Setoodeh fired back at Chandler's claims, stating that they had negotiated with her team through the morning of the shoot and were clear about their expectations from the start. "We invited Sydney on our cover to celebrate her performance in Alien: Earth," he said. "We were clear from the start that our offer included video, and we continued to negotiate with her team until she finally pulled out."

But sources close to Chandler tell The Scholarly Note that Variety's version of events is far from accurate. Insiders claim that Chandler was blindsided by the game proposal and felt pressured into doing something that made her uncomfortable.

The fallout from this scandal will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on FX, which has invested heavily in Alien: Earth. With a reported budget bigger than Shōgun ($250 million), FX is banking on Chandler's star power to draw in viewers. But it seems that Variety may have miscalculated when they pushed her too far.

Chandler's team has been tight-lipped about the situation, but insiders claim that she was on a "personal journey" and learning a lot from this experience. The actress made her acting debut with a supporting role in Olivia Wilde's psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling and went on to land a coveted role playing rock legend Chrissie Hyde in FX's musical miniseries Pistol.

With her famous father Kyle Chandler watching over her, Sydney is determined to prove herself as a talented young actress. But the Variety scandal has raised questions about her ability to handle the pressures of fame.

As the dust settles on this drama-filled controversy, one thing is clear: Sydney Chandler is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in. Whether or not that's enough to save her career remains to be seen.