The 5 Strangest & Most Talked About Movie Press Tours Of 2023
We live in an age where nearly every movie receives the full media blitz treatment. Actors appear on YouTube shows, interview each other for a Variety series, chat with late-night talk show hosts named Jimmy, and generally put themselves on display. 2023 was a bit different, though — thanks to Hollywood's historic double strike of WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
From July 14 to November 9, actors halted press for projects to support the SAG-AFTRA strike and Writer's Guild of America strike for fair working conditions and pay from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" cast even walked off their red carpet premiere in July to support the strikes' goals. Of course, this translated to a movie marketing team's worst nightmare: no press tours. We were deprived of Brie Larson playing with puppies to promote "The Marvels," Kenneth Branagh couldn't discuss his mustache in "A Haunting in Venice," and several films had their release dates pushed to ensure that, come 2024, Timotheé Chalamet could once again compliment Zendaya in fluent French while discussing "Dune 2."
Still, 2023 presented some pretty exciting press tours, whether they were downright odd or delightful. In chronological order, here are our favorite press tour moments of the year.
January 2023: Allison Williams' interview in a doll cafe?
In January 2023, "M3GAN," a campy treat about a smart killer doll, became a wild pop culture moment. The horror film's press tour featured actors dressed as the titular doll doing flash performances in groups, but the most beautifully weird moment of the "M3GAN" press tour was when star Allison Williams chose the perfect spot for an interview with Vulture.
While speaking to journalist Rachel Handler, the star of "Girls" and "Get Out" sat at a table in the dining room at the American Girl Café. Yes, you read that right: She had her interview at the in-house restaurant at Manhattan's famous American Girl Doll Store. Handler mentions that Williams starts the interview by idly wondering what the dolls were "doing" before the two arrived for their chat and highlights a bizarre interaction between Williams and the server, noting: "Our server enters and asks whose birthday we're celebrating. With sudden gravity and conviction, Williams points at the $115 toy sitting next to her. 'It's this doll's birthday,' she says with zero traceable irony — traceable being the keyword."
"M3GAN" is a delightfully weird, strange, and over-the-top movie, so of course it had a bonkers press tour. The person who came up with the idea to hold Williams' interview at a shrine to vaguely creepy real-life dolls, though, deserves a raise and perhaps an Edible Arrangement or something.
April 2023: Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney's undeniable chemistry
Fans of romantic comedies will tell you that believable chemistry between leads is a must-have. Well, Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, stars of the Australian-set rom-com "Anyone But You," seriously took that message to heart. As early as April 2023, rumors started swirling that the two could be dating, even though Sweeney is engaged (to restauranteur Jonathan Davino) and Powell had a girlfriend (Gigi Paris). When Powell and Sweeney started the press tour, news broke that Paris and Powell had split — leading the rumors to intensify.
While Sweeney and Powell have chuckled at the rumors throughout various interviews and claimed that they're the best of friends, there's no denying that their red-carpet chemistry is electric. Try finding a photo where they're not gazing adoringly at one another! One video even shows them testing out increasingly risqué pick-up lines. Powell and Sweeney are two extremely gorgeous people who likely twisted the media narrative to promote their film ... But the rumor mill — and their playful approach — sure has been fun to witness.
June 2023: Jennifer Lawrence spawns a meme during Hot Ones
After taking time out of the spotlight to start a family, Jennifer Lawrence returned to the press tour circuit in 2023, and, she was sorely missed! While promoting her raunchy, surprisingly heartfelt romantic comedy "No Hard Feelings," Lawrence gave several charming interviews. However, there's no question that her standout tour moment came courtesy of some hot sauce.
Lawrence joined host Sean Evans on First We Feast's original YouTube series Hot Ones in June, and like so many celebrities before her, she bravely took on the challenge of eating increasingly spicy chicken wings during their interview. Honestly, she does pretty well for a while ... And even mentions that she has a high pain tolerance before she and Evans chow down. But when they eat the eighth wing dressed in "Da Bomb" hot sauce, the facade cracks. By that, we mean she immediately starts crying. She chugs milk and insists that "nothing helps" before screaming: "I feel like I'm [going to] die." She tosses a bottle of hot sauce onto the ground out of sheer resentment.
Still, the most memeable moment comes with the 10th wing, though. When Evans starts shaking the hot sauce bottle, she lays into him. "What are you doing?" she begs. "What do you mean? What do you mean by shaking it? What do you mean?!" In that moment, a meme was born — and based on Lawrence's sheer discomfort, it's no surprise that she threw up after filming.
July 2023: It's Barbie's world and we're all just living in it
"Barbie" was one of the biggest movies of the year, so it's unsurprising that its press tour was equally big. Anticipation was extraordinarily high for Greta Gerwig's take on the iconic Mattel doll, and her lead actors delivered throughout the press tour (right up until the SAG-AFTRA strike took effect one week before the movie's theatrical release).
Margot Robbie, who starred in the movie's titular role and served as its executive producer, worked with stylist Andrew Mukamal to create various red-carpet outfits based on real-life Barbie doll costumes. When it comes to committing to the bit, though, she couldn't match Ryan Gosling's "Kenergy." When his GQ interview about "Ken" things the star couldn't live without went massively viral — thanks to the beautifully wild assortment of objects like a "book" (about horses) and a fanny pack — it became clear Gosling was an unmatched "Barbie" promoter.
When the movie was released, audiences saw Gosling's dedicated on-screen performance, and the press tour built up to his portrayal perfectly. The memory of the press tour still sparks joy, even though Gosling said he might have erred in making up the word Kenergy. While presenting an award to Mark Ronson at Variety's Hitmakers event, the star joked, "What is 'Kenergy,' other than a word I made up on a press junket so I didn't have to really answer any questions ... That's haunted me ever since?"
October 2023: Martin Scorsese finds unconventional ways to promote Killers of the Flower Moon
Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, artists had to get creative with how to promote their projects. Martin Scorsese wasn't directly involved with the picket lines — the DGA settled a deal with the AMPTP long before either SAG-AFTRA or the WGA reached one — but he found some unconventional ways to remind audiences to watch his historical drama "Killers of the Flower Moon."
Not only did the legendary filmmaker — who turned 81 years old in November 2023 — show up pretty frequently alongside his 23-year-old daughter Francesca on her TikTok account, he started posting reviews on Letterboxd. With curated lists of his all-time favorites or "companion films" (movies that make an unlikely yet perfect double feature) as well as a bio that reads: "This is cinema," Scorsese has amassed a ton of followers on the film-based social media network. All in all, his unlikely social media presence helped audiences remember that his new movie was coming out — as well as recall their affection for the universally beloved writer-director.
How did Looper decide which 2023 press tours were the wildest and wackiest?
What makes me qualified to write this? First, I am one of the foremost scholars of the absolutely wonderfully chaotic "Don't Worry Darling" press tour of 2022, which featured a (possible) loogie, Florence Pugh showing up late with an Aperol spritz, and Harry Styles' take on film theory. Second, I, like Marie Kondo, "love mess."
In all earnestness, though, I'm an entertainment journalist who has been in the field for close to a decade with a Master's degree in Creative Writing. So, I know firsthand that the best creative projects come from people who love their work and the material they're given.
With "Barbie," Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling honored the heritage of the world's most famous doll while having an excellent time playing with puppies and joking at various press junkets. Thanks to "No Hard Feelings," the world got to see a characteristically goofy turn from Jennifer Lawrence. Allison Williams went all-in on a doll's birthday. Martin Scorsese hung out with the kids on TikTok. Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney shamelessly flirted their way throughout an entire press tour.
All of this is to say this: Before and after the SAG-AFTRA strike, performers were invested in their 2023 projects, which helped audiences return to the cinema. Harry Styles may not have spat on anyone this year (yes, this writer thinks he definitely did in 2022), but it was great to witness stars return to the spotlight after a fearful and unprecedented time for the industry.