In a recent cover story for GQ, the actor opened up for the first time about the breakup. The end of his relationship with Paris coincided with intense speculation about a possible off-screen romance between Powell and Sweeney as they promoted their hit romantic comedy.

Earlier this summer, Paris claimed that Powell and the film’s producers had asked her not to visit the set while rumors about the co-stars were circulating. While speaking with GQ, Powell didn’t directly confirm or deny her version of events but emphasized his focus on promoting the movie.
“I will always have nothing but love for her and respect for her,” Powell stated. “Everybody’s always going to have their own narrative on things. And she’s welcome to it.”
He went on to reflect on the nature of breakups, adding, “Relationships are really hard. When two people break up, they each go to their own brunch and tell their own story.”

Powell also shared a piece of advice he received from his Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise during the media storm: “He basically said, ‘Hey, it’s going to get really, really loud. It’s your job to just turn the volume down.’ Just remember you have your hand on that switch. You have the ability to turn up that noise or turn it down.’ Trusting my own gut has been a real godsend for me.”
The speculation began in early 2023, when Powell and Sweeney’s red carpet chemistry and joint press tour fueled dating rumors—ultimately overshadowing Powell’s real-life relationship with Paris. Shortly after, news broke that he and Paris had ended their more than three-year relationship. Although Powell and Sweeney consistently denied being romantically involved, the narrative had already taken off.
During a June appearance on the Too Much podcast, Paris shared her perspective for the first time. Without naming names, she alluded to the difficult period when rumors first emerged.
“I was gloating about him at work, opened Instagram, and saw I was being tagged in something he had posted,” Paris recalled. “I screenshot it and wrote, ‘Hey, the whole world is watching what you’re saying—please proceed with caution.’ That wasn’t received well.” She described that moment as the beginning of a “steady decline,” noting it happened six months before they actually broke up.
Paris explained that she felt pressured to play along with the Hollywood promotion machine. “It was just, ‘This is what I have to do for my job,’” she recalled hearing from Powell. Faced with two options—either pretending everything was fine or standing up for herself—she chose the latter. “I was shattered,” she said.
She also revealed that she had been in the process of securing a work visa to join Powell in Australia while he was filming, just as the media storm hit. “I just wanted respect, especially if it’s gonna be public,” Paris explained. “Don’t make a fool out of someone you’ve been with for over three years. Have some decency.”
“At the end of the day, it was like, work comes first,” she added. “And if that’s the case, power to you—that’s your priority. I’ve got to walk away. What sucked was how it was handled. I felt like I was just fed to the dogs.”
Powell’s interview comes just weeks after Sweeney once again addressed the dating rumors that dominated headlines during the film’s promotional tour.















