The controversy between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has generated more buzz than their film, ‘It Ends with Us’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s romantic movie ‘It Ends With Us’ is making buzz for all the wrong reasons. Its impressive box office performance following its theatrical release on August 9, has been overshadowed by the drama surrounding its lead actress Blake Lively, and actor-director Justin Baldoni. What started as an exciting cinematic project has now turned into a full-blown scandal with allegations and tensions spilling over into the public eye.

This endangers the future of the film series, as the discussions for its sequel ‘It Starts with Us’ were already underway. American author Colleen Hoover published ‘It Starts with Us’ in October 2022, six years after the best-selling novel ‘It Ends with Us’ made it to the stores. It was obvious for Columbia Pictures to green-light the sequel for Lively and Baldoni’s movie, especially after its phenomenal opening in theatres. However, the controversy between the two actors has now jeopardized the upcoming project.

What happened between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?

The first whispers of trouble emerged when eagle-eyed fans noticed that Blake Lively doesn’t follow Justin Baldoni on Instagram. This tiny detail in today’s social media age quickly spiraled into a full-blown conspiracy theory as fans speculated about behind-the-scenes rifts. Their theory gained traction when fans observed that Justin Baldoni, who also directed the film, was noticeably absent from major press events. Although his absence was never officially addressed, the evident lack of camaraderie only fueled public suspicion and speculation.

Fans weren’t wrong! It was soon brought to light that there were creative differences and the post-production process became a battleground, with two different cuts of the movie emerging, as per a report by The Hollywood Reporter.

Lively, who also served as a producer of the film asserted her influence and even brought her husband, Ryan Reynolds to assist in creative decisions. At the film’s world premiere, Lively revealed that Reynolds wrote the rooftop scene from 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,” Lively was quoted by E! in an exclusive interview. Reynolds’s involvement in creative decisions may have contributed to tensions within the team, particularly with director Baldoni.

Blake Lively allegedly accuses Justin Baldoni of harassment and fat-shaming

As if creative clashes weren’t enough, it is now reported that Lively has been privately accusing Baldoni of harassment. Baldoni made her feel uncomfortable while filming for ‘It Ends with Us’, claims a TMZ report. It elaborates that Blake felt Baldoni continued kissing her longer than required during a scene, which disturbed her.

It is also alleged that Baldoni had fat-shamed Lively during a scene where he needed to lift her. As per the report, Baldoni went to his on-set trainer and asked about Lively’s weight due to his back issues. Upon learning this, Lively was upset, especially since she had recently given birth to her fourth child.

The allegations are serious but the truth remains murky. The cast and crew members are divided as some support Lively’s claim while others are siding with Baldoni, arguing that the entire scandal might be a PR stunt to keep the film in the headlines.

How has Justin Baldoni reacted to the scandal?
Amid the reports of allegations from Lively, Baldoni has hired a crisis PR team to shield himself from the damage this scandal could do to his image.

PR Vet Melissa Nathan of The Agency Group will be now helping him through this crisis, as per a report by Deadline. Nathan previously represented Johnny Depp during his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Blake Lively faces flak on social media
People have already started to turn against Lively for her ‘tone deaf’ and ‘shallow’ approach as she failed to address the serious theme of the film during an interview. For the unaware, ‘It Ends with Us’ follows the story of a woman named Lily Bloom (portrayed by Blake Lively), who is trapped in an abusive relationship with a man named Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni).

While the film revolves around the issue of domestic violence, the actress kept her chat extremely casual, reports the Daily Mail.

An X user wrote, “I liked Blake Lively very much before this movie. However, this isn’t about jumping on the hate train. This is about evidence of bad behaviour, of her fat shaming that interviewer, of her being caught in lies about male co-stars. I’m a very shocked I misread her all these years.”

I liked Blake Lively very much before this movie. However, this isn’t about jumping on the hate train. This is about evidence of bad behaviour, of her fat shaming that interviewer, of her being caught in lies about male co-stars. I’m a very shocked I misread her all these years.

— Javeria (@Javeria_Muqadus) August 15, 2024
“I don’t think she’s very smart to be perfectly honest. I think she was just spitting out cliche sentences and didn’t care much about the project or think that deeply about her character. I think she’s been too focused on her side hustle instead. Whereas Justin is passionate,” wrote another social media user.

I don’t think she’s very smart to be perfectly honest. I think she was just spitting out cliche sentences and didn’t care much about the project or think that deeply about her character. I think she’s been too focused on her side hustle instead. Whereas Justin is passionate

— Grace Beck (@WorldOfBeck) August 13, 2024
After the backlash, she posted an Instagram story and posted a link to the National Domestic Violence Hotline resource page to seemingly undo the damage.

“1 in 4 women aged 18 and older in the U.S. alone have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Intimate partner violence affects all genders, including more than 12 million people every year in the United States. Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence,” she wrote in her Insta story.

Blake Lively and Justin Boldoni controversy doesn’t seem to end anytime soon
As of now, the lines are blurred and it’s difficult to discern what’s real and what’s fabricated. It further poses a question about the film’s long-term success, especially with a published sequel of Hoover’s novel that could make a great addition to the franchise.

Baldoni is least interested in directing the sequel. “I think there are better people for that one. I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. That’s what I think,” he told Entertainment Tonight. This leaves us to wonder if the tension between him and Lively has permanently fractured their working relationship.

‘It Ends with Us’ is now running in cinemas