Last week, It Ends With Us had major premiere events in New York and London. Blake Lively has also been blitzing the media with TV appearances, interviews and pap strolls. She’s hustling for this film really hard. It’s her first major role in years, and she’s an executive producer on it too. With Blake’s promotion specifically, it does feel like there’s a cult of silence around what it’s actually about: domestic violence. That’s the whole point of “it ends with us.” Only Blake seems to think she’s promoting a ditzy romance full of cute scenes involving fashion, flowers and jewelry. Meanwhile, her costar and director Justin Baldoni has been doing the most to talk about DV and be respectful of the actual subject matter. TikTok caught on that Justin and Blake seem to be promoting IEWU in completely different ways. TikTok also caught on that Blake and Justin have had some kind of falling out and they are not promoting the film together whatsoever. It’s gotten so bad that even the trade papers are following TikTokers’ leads:
As It Ends With Us sails toward a strong opening weekend at the box office, the movie is facing unexpected — and likely unwanted — attention on social media. TikTok has been flooded with speculation about a rift between star-producer Blake Lively and her co-star Justin Baldoni, who also directed the adaptation of Colleen Hoover‘s beloved book.
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that there was a fracture among the filmmakers in the postproduction process, wherein two different cuts of the movie emerged.
The It Ends With Us sleuthing on TikTok stemmed from Baldoni’s notable absence from joint press events; the lack of group photos of Lively and Baldoni together at Tuesday’s New York premiere; and the fact that neither Lively, Hoover, nor the rest of the cast, follow Baldoni on Instagram (though he follows them). This raised eyebrows, as during the development of the movie, Hoover and Baldoni appeared together on each other’s Instagrams multiple times.
Social media users also began speculating that Lively brought in her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to help take over creative control of the film. This theory was stoked when Lively revealed at the film’s world premiere that Reynolds wrote a key rooftop scene toward the beginning of the movie. “We help each other. He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his,” she said. The film has a script from Christy Hall.
Reynolds did write a large chunk of dialogue for the scene, multiple insiders tell THR, but not the entire scene. Beyond that, he would have had no time to focus on his wife’s film since he and director Shawn Levy were working 24/7 on Deadpool & Wolverine from the time they were able to resume production in early November 2023 after the SAG-AFTRA strike — and through the laborious postproduction process before embarking on a global publicity tour.
Lively, however, did have a strong say in the film’s creative direction as she was also a producer on the feature on top of being its star. That seemed to extend to having the power to make her own version of the movie. According to multiple sources, Lively commissioned a cut of the movie from editor Shane Reid, who was an editor on Deadpool & Wolverine, and who cut the Lively-directed music video for Taylor Swift’s “I Bet You Think About Me.” It’s unclear if any of this cut was ultimately used in the final project, which was credited to editors Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan. One insider played down any friction, noting that it is not uncommon for a film to have several cuts emerge during post, adding that the team was in agreement on the final cut.
I absolutely believe the theory that Ryan Reynolds is a controlling a–hole and he put his stink all over Blake’s big comeback project, and that was a problem with Baldoni and screenwriter Christy Hall. Speaking of, Baldoni was the one who got the rights to the book and he brought in Hall to adapt the script. But the reason why Blake and Ryan kept getting their way was because they’re tight with Colleen Hoover. Basically, THR makes it sound like a mess of big egos and competing agendas. But! Page Six has a much more pro-Blake piece:
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni clashed on the set of “It Ends With Us,” with multiple sources telling Page Six he made her feel “uncomfortable.” One industry source claimed that Baldoni, who also directed the movie, created an “extremely difficult” atmosphere behind the scenes for the entire cast. And another industry insider said there were a few moments on set that made Lively, who is a producer on the project, feel “uncomfortable” about her postpartum body.
Lively, 36, joined “It Ends With Us” soon after giving birth to her fourth child with Ryan Reynolds, son Olin. As photos leaked at the start of production, fans called out Lively’s “frumpy” costumes for her character, Lily Bloom — prompting Lively to delve into her own wardrobe for some of the looks, borrowing clothes from BFF Gigi Hadid and husband Ryan Reynolds and wearing her own jewelry. Sources who have worked with Baldoni were quick to say the father of two would never intentionally set out to make any of his actors feel unsupported. By the end of filming, however, there was apparently no love lost between the cast.
“It’s not just Blake,” added the industry source. “None of the cast enjoyed working with Justin …They certainly didn’t talk to him at the premiere.”
Wait, are they saying that Baldoni said something about her postpartum body AND he made her wear frumpy clothes? Sigh… I mean, it’s a good way to attack him, even if I think it sounds like bullsh-t straight from Ryan and Blake. Also: Baldoni wants no part of the sequel, if a sequel gets greenlighted. He told People Mag that if the sequel happens, Blake should direct it. I doubt Ryan would allow that.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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- New York, NY – Actor Justin Baldoni makes time for his fans as he signs autographs and poses for pictures as he arrives at CBS Mornings to promote “It Ends With Us’ Pictured: Justin Baldoni BACKGRID USA 7 AUGUST 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Blake Lively is seen making a leggy appearance at BBC Studios, wearing a chic designer trench coat. The actress turned heads with her stylish outfit as she arrived for her engagement. Pictured: Blake Lively BACKGRID USA 8 AUGUST 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Mattpapz / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Blake Lively is seen making a leggy appearance at BBC Studios, wearing a chic designer trench coat. The actress turned heads with her stylish outfit as she arrived for her engagement. Pictured: Blake Lively BACKGRID USA 8 AUGUST 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Mattpapz / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Blake Lively was spotted looking gorgeous after making a guest appearance at Capital Radio to promote “It Ends With Us”. Pictured: Blake Lively BACKGRID USA 8 AUGUST 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Mattpapz / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM – Celebrities attend the ‘It Ends With Us’ film premiere in London. Pictured: Blake Lively BACKGRID USA 8 AUGUST 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: JSML (JAMES SHAW) / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
The bloom is wearing off Reynolds, people are going back to quotes from Scarlett, saying he is a jealous arsehole.
The entire cast and the director’s podcast partner aren’t talking to the director. Something happened on set and it isn’t Reynolds or Blake’s fault
This is Hollywood they go where the money goes they’re probably securing jobs for the sequel.
THIS! Thank you!
Yeah, Blake and Ryan have a lot of power…it puts the rest of the cast in a tough spot.
More famous established Hollywood couple with a new director. Who will most of cast side with? I can see Ryan being intrusive.
I thought maybe this film would be a deeper project for her when I saw the trailer or I “hoped”. Generational trauma and domestic violence are important topics. I am disappointed in her marketing of it and you hit it right on the head why is she all flowers and fashion. I have respected his discussion or domestic violence.
Maybe Justin verbalized a connection to the domestic violence themes of the film to Ryan’s controlling nature and Blake didn’t want to hear that. Like, it’s either not an issue to her or it’s something she’d rather gloss over.
Blake wants to be taken seriously as an actress but when she has serious subject matter to work with … she’s all flowers and love?
Of course she’s mad about clothes and wanting to be her own “stylist.”
Idk the idea that it’s fully Blake and Ryan as the issue doesn’t explain to me why Jenny Slate seems to have no use for the director.
Full disclosure I don’t read Colleen Hoover and am a big reader so I find the fawning over her books 🙄 (basically I’m a hater). So typically I’d be biased against whoever she is siding with (in this case Ryan/Blake). But that doesn’t explain Jenny Slate to me and makes me buy that the director did something on set that people didn’t like.
I have read a handful of Colleen Hoover books and they are basic at best. I don’t get the fawning over her work.
Other people have said nice things about Justin in the past so its odd that everyone hates him on this movie.
I follow Justin on Instagram and he is going to different theaters in different cities showing the movie and having discussions about DV with the women in the audience. Blake’s PR team is promoting her looks throughout the movie and being very unprofessional towards Justin and letting the public believe he is in the wrong. He worked on Jane the Virgin for a few years and also directed a few episodes. They were a tight group with no evidence of making his colleagues feel strange. I wouldn’t be surprised if Blake and Ryan strong armed their way to take control of the film. The other actors and writers follow the money and more possible work as said in this comment section.
I had to look up who Baldoni was on IMDB. I’ve still never seen any TV show or movie he’s been in. I’m not sure how a guy whose big credit was Jane the Virgin was able to become the director on a film this big. But I believe Ryan Reynolds had his fingers in the pie of this beef. He’s that controlling. I may love Deadpool but Ryan annoys me with his “nice” Canadian persona.
At this point, I have no idea which side to believe, and I have no desire to see this movie. The book was bad enough.
Surprisingly, of the two camps, Justin actually seems far more cognizant of the fact that the film is about DV and the complexities of portraying that. Blake, meanwhile, is out here marketing it like it’s Barbie 2.0.
💯
Team Justin on this one
Right now the world is in a very dark place so marketing The movie in a more upbeat the importance of friendship might have been what was adviced to the cast but it the director did not agree
@Fabiola it’s true the world is in a dark place. Perhaps it’s not a great time for a movie about DV. I’d be pissed if I went to the theater for light fare and that’s what I got.
Justin was able to direct it because his production company owns the rights to the book.
^^ THIS. He read the book early on, knew he wanted to direct it, reached out to Hoover and secured the rights, and got the project made. My impulse is always to side with the female creative vision in these situations, but if I were Justin Baldoni or Christy Hall and my project was hijacked, I would be furious. I work in the industry and a much smaller scale version of this happened to me. It’s the worst feeling in the world watching someone else step in and take your work in another direction while your name is still attached to it.
Justin bought the rights all the way back in 2019 before the book went viral. The films he directs call attention to causes: it ends with us & DV, another one about living with CF.
He has a track record for being an outspoken advocate of women, acknowledging his own biases and privilege as a man, and his promotion for this film proves that. Blake has the A-list power and money, and is using the film to promote her hair care brand and Deadpool & Wolverine, while making it seem like It Ends With Us is a cute feel good romcom. I didn’t read the book and have never had the intention of reading it but I saw the movie last night and it is heavy. Not at all how she and the rest of the cast have been marketing it.
Not knowing anything about what happened on set, I’m guessing that Blake “plantation wedding, ‘LA face with an Oakland booty’, the Allure of Antebellum” Lively is the problem.
She has a long established history of being on the “head up my own ass” side of situations.
Follow Justin on Tiktok. He’s shown himself to be an ally to women, has been deeply respectful of the content of this movie, meanwhile, Blake been out here shilling for her drink company off the back of dv.
I will eat my words if something comes out against Justin Baldoni but…
I think having the foresight to buy the rights to a book, get it into production after covid and two strikes, do the extra work to make sure the domestic violence plot is treated respectively, only to have the actress who HE HIRED get her husband’s friend to recut the film seems deeply fucked. Again willing to have my mind changed if new information comes out but on paper, it’s just really not how films are supposed to be made and I think it only happened because he’s not as famous as Blake and Ryan.
@Mika: agreed, well said
All of this. Justin Baldoni is a dude who cut his hair for Locks of Love. He’s actively involved with multiple charities around LA. He also originally wanted Colleen Hoover to write the script, and this RARELY happens that a director respects an author enough to consider them as a screenwriter.
Wow! The director always has Final Cut. Having an editors cut be the final would break anyone. No wonder he said Blake should direct the sequel – she already prob directed this one. I am dying re: the frumpy clothes and bringing your own. There is a whole costume designer. She is giving big number one on the callsheet energy.
I have to laugh about the frumpy clothes. Boston has never been a high fashion town – that’s been well-known going back to Revolutionary days. We dress for convenience and for the weather and are kind of cheap when it comes to tailoring.
“The director always has Final Cut”
Whoa! No sorry, I have to clear that one up. If your name is not something akin to Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese, the director in Hollywood will generally have to negotiate for Final Cut. And most of the time the studio will laugh. Directors getting the film taken away from them in the editing room happens frequently. Doesn’t make it right but this is nothing new at all!
I suppose this is why the only thing interesting about this to me is that it got out. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle. This goes on all the time in Hollywood, but I guess this bunch aren’t as good actors since they couldn’t hide it. 😂
Directors rarely get final cut. You have to be a major name to get that kind of power. It’s why do many films release a “directors cut” after a film releases.
There’s a lot of talk that Justin’s cut tested better at screenings vs Blake’s and that hurt someone’s ego. Director vs producer is a battle on every set. Follow the money, you’ll follow the power.
Also Blake getting an Oscar nom for this? Snort.
if this was about Blake and Ryan being assholes, I don’t think EVERYONE would be avoiding Baldoni and not following him. to me, that speaks to him being the asshole, not them.
also, I wouldn’t describe Ryan as getting his “stink” over the movie given that his stuff is usually very successful.
I don’t necessarily think it means anything negative about Justin. Blake and Ryan are pretty powerful (especially Ryan, coming off Deadpool). And I mentioned this in another comment, but Justin has actually seemed very articulate and thoughtful about the DV aspect of the film when discussing it, whereas Blake and Ryan are treating it like a fluffy romcom.
I think Blake and Ryan had particular plans for this movie, and they didn’t coincide with Justin’s.
I have to admit I stalked Baldoni’s Instagram the other night after hearing about this feud. He seems very tight with his Jane the Virgin cast members so as an actor it looks like he’s not a jerk. Maybe he was on an ego trip as a director?
But I absolutely can blame Ryan Reynolds for sticking his controlling fingers in his wife’s movie project. If my husband tried to take over my movie, I’d tell him to get back home with the kids. It’s not cool.
As for Jenny, she’s not stupid… Deadpool and Wolverine is probably going to make the most money of a movie in years. She’s not going to speak out against the new ‘power couple.’
she wasn’t being asked to speak out against Justin. it was a basic question about working with him and she basically did backbends to not even say his name or answer the question directly.
Blake says that they both get very involved in each other’s projects, I don’t think he’s “controlling” her project.
It’s not everyone. Hasan Minhnaj and Kevin McKidd (from Grey’s Anatomy) are still following Baldoni. Mentioning this because it’s telling to me that the only two members of the cast who have their own money are the ones not dancing to Mr and Mrs Deadpool’s tune. (Slate has internet fame, but nowhere near the funds or security that the Grey’s guy has, and Minhaj is also more secure and has the standup touring income as backup.
If you look at this as suckups who side with power the unfollowing and who did it makes sense.
Actually it is possible that the cast took the side of the producer without any particular reason in here or for entirely self preservation reasons. Ryan Reynolds, Blake have connections, they are the ones with more money, power etc. I feel Justin was severely undermined in the set which led to this situation. I don’t believe the page 6 gossip. It feels like a nasty propaganda from Ryan and Blake’s camp. I hope Justin got his money and can find a better team/project next.
Yes, not sure why all the Ryan Reynolds hate suddenly. He seems to be intelligent and have a high EQ, not to mention has built up a LOT of goodwill and trust in Hollywood and well as having a talent for getting things done. You don’t have to like his brand of snark, but I don’t get the desire to ascribe blame to him.
Ahh but us older people remember RR from back in the day before he had his pr makeover
He was never a nice guy, he was known as being funny but not nice.
And I do think he’s funny, I remember his first big show a girl a guy and a pizza place.
I loved that show.
But his asshole jealous controlling colors really showed when he was with Alanis and Scarlett
Then he had this big pr makeover when the first Deadpool hit big. And suddenly he was this great nice sweet guy.
I’ll believe what I heard and saw of him from the alanis days. And how the cast of his original big show can’t stand him and all the talk that came out before he was famous.
@KKATT it was Two Guys A Girl and A Pizza Place, and his was floundering after the Green Lantern.
I was walking behind him in NYC once and some fans approached him, he was so rude to them that I vowed to never support anything he’s involved in. Granted, his movies were never my thing to begin so no loss there. And I do agree that public people deserve privacy and to be left alone but he could have just declined and kept walking but instead decided to make some rude comments. I’ve never believed his “nice” persona after that.
@Arizona: I just want to respond to your last sentence, “Ryan’s movies are usually very successful.” I disagree; I think many of his films have performed meh. The Deadpool franchise is his huge outlier successful film (outside of ‘cult classic’ stoner films when he was younger), as well as a recent ensemble film with The Rock and the actress who played Wonder Woman. Ryan and his wife keep getting loads of chances to make movies, and they appear to be A-list without having made movies that really enter into the canon as memorable films. But they are def a power couple who have networked a lot and have a lot of money
I think it’s weird that as a professional, the executive producer, Blake would have her husband rewriting dialogue and being involved. I’d be in trouble at work if my husband just started sitting in on my meetings and doing my assignments.
Maybe she didn’t have a choice maybe he really is that controlling.
This, Lady Rae. He may indeed be that controlling, and it wouldn’t surprise me. Nothing you could tell me about him would surprise me.
If you listen to Ryan talk about his projects, he regularly says that Blake is very involved in the dialogue and rewrites for his movies too. I think they just are really involved in each other’s work lives. If you go looking for bad intentions I guess you’ll find them, but it doesn’t seem like that’s a conclusion we have to jump to here.
But that’s weird, right? My husband and I talk about our work and support each others’ work, but I don’t DO his work and he doesn’t do mine. This sounds, at best, incredibly codependent.
I think Justin clocked something about their relationship and wants nothing to do with them. I think those in the movie aligned with whoever has the most power – or perceived power and that’s Blake and Ryan.
Maybe two things are true at once, Blake overtook the project and Justin was a polarizing figure given that other cast are not chummy with him. Regardless I don’t understand Blake’s promotional outfits they are incongruent with the film subject matter.
Yeah, there could be a few things going on. Justin could have clashed with the cast or been in over his head as a director. Especially with the producer/actor in the film. Personalities and visions for the film clashing. At the same time, it’s disconcerting to see the film being marketed as a rom-com when it’s not and that tonal incongruence does seem to come from Blake. It’s an odd choice.
I think this is a nuanced take. I know the majority of the cast has sided with Blake but there might be something more there. I’m sure the power dynamics between producer and director were harder to navigate with Ryan likely butting in.
As to Blake’s outfits, I mean the character is called “Lily Bloom” and works at a flower shop so very, very, on the nose.
But why are so many of the flower outfits so twee and sparkly?
This is giving “I refuse to be ugly.” vibes and that’s not always the best fit for a film or character.
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but Lily wasn’t supposed to be ugly or frumpy… I’ve read a bunch of books since then but that wasn’t my recollection of her description.
It really sounds like it’s this scenario. Something happened if the cast and crew aren’t talking to the director. I know BL has some issues, but that doesn’t mean everything is her fault and the director has not blame in whatever happened.
@JoanCallamezzo: Agreed, I’ve been curious about the oddly-light tone that Blake’s promotion of this film has had… but when you really think about it, if she were to speak seriously about this film, audiences would respect this film as a passion project and appreciate her advocacy in this area, but likely would not choose to see this movie on their Friday night. Folks have enough heaviness in their lives without going to the movies for more. But I’m just guessing
I just hate that trench coat thing Blake is wearing. I’m not interested in this movie but I bet it will do well because the book fan base is huge. Ryan Reynolds is not my cup of tea so it doesn’t sound surprising that he would try and push into Blake’s project. He just seems obnoxious. The two of them together are just off-putting to me.
Let’s never forget they got married on a plantation, then Blake hosted a website with featured posts romanticizing the antebellum South — you know, that glamourous place run by SLAVERY.
Blake Lively has the worst sense of style ever. What is that outfit she’s wearing in the photo that opens this piece? A trench-coat with flower cutouts??? That’s a fashion oxymoron from the JC Penney’s Juniors department. Dangling earrings and tacky necklace from Claire’s??? Hoo-boy. Is she a 36 year old mother and film professional or a 16 year old mall rat? She’s got a lot of hair, but that’s the only nice thing I have to say about her lewk.
“A trench-coat with flower cutouts??? That’s a fashion oxymoron from the JC Penney’s Juniors department. Dangling earrings and tacky necklace from Claire’s???”
LOL, you have just described Queen Maxima!
Yeah wow, I just googled her. Yikes. lol
She really does have the worst style – hair, accessories everything. Very basic. I also don’t like the marketing of a film about domestic violence as “go see this with your friends – the movie of the summer” while cheerful people are milling on a movie theatre and happy music is playing. The whole thing just seems entirely off to me.
Blake is one of those people that always looks cheap, no matter what she’s wearing. She needs a stylist. It’s an art, and Blake is just not that type of artist.
The fact that we aren’t hearing about any specific incidents of JB’s behavior is curious. Maybe we’ll learn more this week.
Sounds like they might have had arguments about how to spend the budget when it came to the clothes or maybe just different opinions on the character. Was Blake starting to feel insecure about her fashion girl status when fans commented on the wardrobe ? Is that her audience people who follow her from the gossip girl days and the met gala? If she wants an oscar she better learn to not have to look pretty in every project and focus on the acting instead.
There’s one theater left in my town and yesterday the marquee was screaming Wolverine and IEWU. I was like dayum power couple much? To me it seems like they’ve had a meteoric rise. I’ll be fascinated if it starts to unravel.
I’m not going to use the fact that B list actors and the author of the book are not following Justin to condemn this man. This is Hollywood. People will check their morals and feelings at the door if it means ingratiating themselves with A listers. Reynolds is powerful. Baldoni is not.
Definitely this. And her bestie Taylor Swift got all her friends to unfollow Joe at the same time and everybody speculated he must have done something awful. He didn’t, she was just being a high school mean girl. Blake is taking a page from Taylor’s playbook.
Putting out vague quotes about how he made her uncomfortable is just shady. Say what he did or said or say nothing.
Blake Lively almost always have problems with her costars, so this isn’t surprising. JB on the other hand, seems to have had great relationships with his costars. As for why the cast would take BL and RR’s side? I mean, they are more powerful. We’ve seen time and time again where Hollywood sides with the abuser.
I really hate how BL, Coho, and the gang are marketing this as a rom com. The whole grab your girlfriend, wear your florals thing. It’s not the eras tour or the Barbie movie, it’s about dv. JB seems to be the only one even mentioning DV.
I haven’t seen the film and most likely won’t, but according to TikTok, they didn’t even include a hotline number at the end of the film. Wtf.
And lastly, did RR scab? Did he write the “iconic rooftop scene” during the writers strike?
And also, if I remember correctly, RR, himself, was writing a lot of jokes for this latest Deadpool movie since they were still filming as the WGA strike was going on and the joke writers were not available.
Is this a clothing scenario akin to that movie JLo did – where she was playing a woman with a pet store and a handicapped dog who then got pregnant while shagging a handsome dude from the farmer‘s market? Because whoever she played, that lady had fancy JLo clothes and wore Louboutins to walk that dog. The wardrobe was the morst expensive thing in that movie. It felt like JLo’s stylist got that movie gig because the original wardrobe was „frumpy“.
Did the public make Blake Lively feel bad about her postpartum body or did Justin? I was confused reading about it
If Ryan Reynolds gave his two seconds, I could see myself being annoyed by this as the director.
Maybe everyone is siding with Ryan and Blake because they’re more powerful to some degree.
I just know Justin Baldoni from Jane the Virgin, and I don’t really remember hearing anything bad about him from that show. I had no idea he was driven enough to take on the task of making and directing a movie — given that he started off on Jane the Virgin and I can’t remember anything else he has been in, that’s sort of impressive to me regardless of who you side with. That was my big take-away haha.
I have never heard anyone say anything bad about Justin, ever. And he seems to be the only person associated with the film who understands the gravity of domestic violence and that this isn’t some romcom. The rest of them are acting like they just made a cute romantic comedy. Also, most critics are praising the direction and the fact that JB elevated this behind the source material.
Don’t forget Hollywood is like high school. It’s a giant clique, of course people want to be associated with the cool kids.
Hassan Mihnaj still follows Justin. I would argue he’s one of the more famous cast members apart from Justin/Blake, so he doesn’t need to suck up to Blake and Ryan.
Also where does the Page Six piece describe how Justin made her uncomfortable? It seems to just be referring to the fans hating the outfits (and rightfully so because they were awful). Seems like an attempt to frame Justin as the bad guy with no actual details whatsoever.
It is strange that Blake Lively is determined that this film should be publicised as some fluffy rom-com so she can have her Barbieheimer moment with the Wolverine Deadpool film whilst also marketing her hair care and beverage brands which is icky. RR even did that “funny” interview with one of BL co-stars. Justin Baldoni is the only one talking about domestic violence even wearing a pin to the premier. This does seem to be a problem that the source material has as well though. Cynically maybe this is the best way to market the film as I don’t know how appealing a film about domestic violence really is for the masses. If Blake didn’t want to talk about the hard topics though she shouldn’t have chosen this film.
I’ve seen parts of interviews where BL has said she insisted that a Lana del Ray song was used in a particular scene despite others disagreeing (probably Justin) and saying that her husband wrote the “iconic” rooftop scene. I’d be annoyed if I was the director and my co-star was acting like she directed the film even though JB was the one to develop and direct the film as well as act in it through his production company. Maybe it was too much for him to be playing the abuser role as also being the director on the film for everyone. I also think the scriptwriter has handled this is diplomatically as she could as it’s just wild that she’s being discredited even though she wrote the screenplay. BL has also said that she and RR are often involved with each other’s films. I wouldn’t be happy if my co-stars husband came on the set and took over scenes and was telling me how to direct. I know some of you have said that only the top tier directors get the final cut of the film but it does seem pretty out there that just because she’s producer that she could take the film to a whole other editor of her choice and make her own cut. It sounds like Blake is lining herself up as the director for the sequel and her colleagues are sticking with her as they know where the power lies.
I’m neither a Blake hater nor a Blake fan but damn that outfit is bonkers. What in the hell? I initially brushed right passed it until I read @agnes’s comment. But good grief. That’s terrible. lol
There will be a sequel to this movie? Why? The themes are such that I wouldn’t expect a sequel …,
It’s based on a book which has a sequel
I’m not surprised with Blake, to me she’s just a so-so actress but has influence in HW because her family, her friendship with TS, and husband. Admitting it, but I used to watch Gossip Girl 😊. I can see now the rumors why Leighton didn’t really get along with Blake – imo Leighton made GG anyways- – but Blake got more attention.
Blondes always get more attention. Blake’s character in GG was boring.
I’ve followed Baldoni for years on social media and he seems like a man who is legitimately feminist and seeking to unlearn his own internalized misogyny. Blake and Ryan are not it.
I agree. Blake and Ryan are just so smug. I saw a BTS video in twitter of a scene between Justin and Blake where she was ‘teaching’ him how to properly grab her on her waist to kiss her. I was like WTF? How people can call her and Reynolds ‘couple goals’ is beyond me.
Can’t wait for the Blake&Ryan are over party. Most overrated and obnoxious Hollywood couple ever
I have nothing against Blake lively and I get why she’s successful, but I’m surprised by the number of controversies she manages to land herself in. The only time I forget these controversies is when she’s hanging out with Taylor Swift.
I also don’t get the amount of publicity this movie is getting. It looks … boring. The version Blake put forward does seem like the Lifetime version though. It feels like there are two different movies in this film and now I get why — there were two completely different visions for this movie and that’s why it looks bad. The moment I saw the realist I knew I didn’t want to watch it. If Julia Robert’s couldn’t get me to see a similar type of film, Blake Lively definitely can’t.
I get the feeling Blake wanted to the movie to focus on the star-crossed romance between the characters of Atlas and Lilly. And Justin wanted to focus on the DV relationship between Lilly and Ryle since he plays Ryle and wanted to bring authentic to the dynamics in a DV relationship. It was a power struggle of which storyline was bigger and the other minimized.
The fact this movie has been labeled as a romance drama on IMDB. Tells me Blake won. With how this movie has been marketed as a romance. And distastefully as a romantic comedy with some things I have seen on Tik Tok.
Maybe Blake was thinking long term if they will bring the other novels to the screen. If it is successful enough. With Lilly and Atlas. Honestly the whole thing is strange to me.
But mostly, I wish a better actress had played the role and brought more depth to the character other than good hair and pretty outfits.
Whenever Baldoni is interviewed about this film, he praises Blake Lively. Whenever Blake is interviewed about it, she praises Ryan Reynolds. Baldoni made sure he hired women for both intimacy coordinators and stunt coordinator, and said he sometimes stepped back as a director to allow the women control over scenes.
Page Six uses only unnamed sources to shade Baldoni, and only Baldoni. Meanwhile this post could be improved by using NYT quasi review “What ‘It Ends With Us’ Says About the Blake Lively Brand.” Meanwhile, Deadline’s review indicates many scenes don’t hit like they should, including weirdly comedic moments involving Jenny Slate.
Both Reynolds and Lively had bad reputations before Green Lantern. Than they both had huge PR makeovers and at the same time they start dating, such a coincidence. He had to get rid of the rumors suggesting he was jealous of Scarlett’s success and controlling and she had to wash away the naked pics leak scandal AND the alleged affair with Affleck during the soothing of The Town. Lainey Gossip couldn’t stand them now she’s all over them. Many gossip sites like Page Six, dailymail, JJ and DeuxMoi are all over them, probably on their pay roll.
Getting scathing reviews. This from the NYT ends with this: “ But the performance is almost beside the point. Lively has transformed the project into film-as-commerce. It’s a savvy bit of persona curation that might not be particularly cinematic, but is perhaps Lively’s masterpiece.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/11/movies/it-ends-with-us-blake-lively-brand.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
Wow. From that NYT article “ She’s pulling double duty promoting both with a pop-up store in New York called Betty Blooms, where she posed in front of a sign for “fresh flowers & fizzy refreshments.” A promotional email explained how to make “It Ends With Us”-inspired cocktails using Betty Buzz. One recipe called for Reynolds’s gin. It’s a cheery gimmick that seems awkwardly out of step with the context of the film itself, which tells the story of a woman dealing with domestic violence.”
That’s messed up 😬
@Kate: The quote is def wow. And you know, in her movie A Simple Favor, her husband’s real gin company got lots of airtime in like 2 or 3 scenes where making gin martinis was a plot point in the movie. She and Ryan are using movies to advance their businesses, and I feel like I’m just waking up to kinda how unsettling that seems. Unrelated but related, I had also thought it was curious that she was seated right next to Taylor Swift during the Super Bowl (like, not just a member of the entourage of friends, but seated right next to Taylor)… it seemed mutually beneficial popularity, but def it’s all strategic, which makes it seem like a bunch of marionetting, tbh
Have y’all noticed no one who works with Blake Lively ever has anything nice to say about her? Gossip Girl, the films she’s done? They either avoid her like the plague or just refuse to mention her name.
First I saw the poster at my local multiplex and thought it was a rom-com. Now this kerfuffle, did the actor/director go too far in the dv scenes, I wondered and is that why he’s being iced out? The promotion of all her product brands while touting the film is dare I say it, tasteless. I saw her hair products at Target yesterday. Perhaps, she’d like to direct some day. Questions, I have so many of them.