It’s a story as old as time: boy directs a film adaptation of a best-selling novel, boy hires girl for the lead role, boy and girl have creative differences, boy and girl promote the movie together while pretending the other doesn’t exist.
this is, It Ends With Us The film stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, and the pair attended separate premieres for the film, which grossed more than $80 million during its opening weekend, sparking rumors that the on-screen lovers have started to avoid each other in real life.
what It Ends With Us?
It ends with us This is a film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s number one novel of 2016. The New York Times The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name. It tells the story of a romantic relationship between florist Lily Bloom and Lyle Kincaid, who is physically and sexually abusive. The story is loosely based on Huber’s own mother. In 2020, Baldoni announced that he would be developing and directing the film for the first time. In 2023, Huber announced on Instagram that, at Huber’s own request, Blake Lively would play the lead role of Bloom and Baldoni would play Kincaid.
The film is set to begin production in May 2023 with a release date of Aug. 9. Lively is a co-producer on the film.
Why are Baldoni and Lively allegedly at odds?
The Hollywood Reporter The company said sources told them that a rift had developed between the filmmakers during post-production, leading Lively to ask editor Shane Reid, who worked with her on Taylor Swift’s “I Bet You Think About Me” music video, to cut the film. The Hollywood Reporter Those I spoke to said it’s not uncommon for a film to undergo multiple edits in post-production after it’s shot.
Still, online sleuths say they’ve found some evidence that supports the rumors of a rift between the co-stars: For example, none of the cast members follow Baldoni on Instagram. (At the time of writing, Baldoni is not followed by Huber, Lively, or any of the other co-stars.) It Ends With Us He is followed on Instagram by actress Jenny Slate. None of the three women follow him back.
Baldoni also did not appear with Lively, Huber and the rest of the cast in any red carpet photos from the film, instead opting to walk the red carpet alone and with his wife.
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During a red carpet interview, Slate sidestepped a question about what it was like working with Baldoni as a co-star, saying: deadline“What a lot of work, having to do so many things. I was just like, ‘Oh, I just want to do one job at a time.'”
The tweet may have been deleted
Some have speculated that the awkwardness stems from a creative power struggle, as Lively told E! News that her husband, Ryan Reynolds, helped write key scenes in the film, despite not being officially involved in its production. Reynolds has also been involved in promoting the film, Deadpool and Wolverine Co-star Hugh Jackman at the New York premiere It ends with us The video then goes on to feature an interview with one of the love interests of Livly’s character (notably not Baldoni).
On August 9, Page Six reported, citing insiders, that Baldoni made Lively feel “uncomfortable” about her post-baby body during filming, creating an “extremely difficult” work environment on set.
What do Mr. Baldoni and Ms. Lively say about each other?
Lively hasn’t said much about working with Baldoni, instead praising her husband’s support throughout production, but like Slate, she didn’t answer questions posed to Yahoo Entertainment about working with Baldoni and his portrayal of Lyle and Hoover in the novel.
Meanwhile, Baldoni has been publicly generous about Lively and her husband Reynolds, saying: today“You can’t sum up Blake’s contribution in one word because her energy and her impact is throughout the entire movie and she really enhanced it from start to finish. Ryan[Reynolds]was so generous. He’s a creative genius. His gift is lightness and her gift is lightness.” When asked if he would work with the two again, he said, “If they could call me.”
Earlier this week, Baldoni said Tonight’s Entertainment As for directing the sequel, It starts with us“I think there’s someone better suited for this project. I think Blake Lively is ready to direct.”
What else is the film being accused of?
The film’s production team, including Lively, was ultimately criticized for casually promoting a film that depicts domestic violence.
Lively used the film to promote her brand, Betty Buzz, by selling “Betty Blooms”, a limited-edition line of flower bouquets in a Betty Buzz bottle, linking it to her character’s love of flowers. The New York TimesIn a promotional email sent before the film’s release, It ends with usThe cocktails were themed around Betty Buzz, and one of the recipes even featured Aviation Gin, a brand owned by Lively’s husband.
Lively’s red carpet and street style also takes inspiration from Lily Bloom, as she always appears in colorful, floral, ruffled dresses that suit her characters’ interests, but maybe not their seriousness.
These choices are: Rolling Stone CT Jones writes that “the flashy marketing campaign proves that Hollywood has failed to find a respectable way to promote a film about domestic violence,” and instead has “prioritized selling romance by sweeping the themes of abuse under the rug at almost every opportunity.”