In the same vein and The Godfather and Don't Worry Darling, Columbia Pictures' It Ends with Us is going to go down in celebrity history as one of the most drama-filled film rollouts ever!
It Ends with Us, which is based on the novel of the same name by author Coleen Hoover and tells the story of a florist and her experience surviving domestic abuse at the hands of her husband, has been a hot topic lately, but not just because of its storyline! The palpable tension brewing between director and actor Justin Baldoni and leading lady Blake Lively is adding a layer of real-life drama that’s hard to ignore, and with creative issues reportedly causing tension on set coupled with lots of negative press, there is so much to unpack when it comes to the release of It Ends with Us.
We usually like to mind our gay business and stay out of straight people's drama, but this was just too much to ignore, so let's dive in an break down what's going on...
Firstly, it's worth noting that there has been absolutely no official confirmation about an alleged feud between Baldoni and Lively from either of their camps. While a lot of the online discussion about their working dynamic is speculated, judging from multiple clips from the film's recent press tour, it is obvious these two had very different ideas of what the press for the film should look like.
Leading up the films release, Baldoni (who plays the abusive lead character Ryle) was in the press discussing the dangers of domestic violence. The director and actor also mentioned taking a backseat on the intimate scenes to allow the women working on the film to have their voice heard correctly. Baldoni also promoted the nonprofit No More (an organization that seeks to raise awareness about domestic violence and that helped work on the film), wearing their pin in multiple interviews and putting information about them in his Instagram bio.
When you juxtapose Baldoni's press next to Lively (who plays main character Lily) and her various interviews promoting the film, it's not hard to see why fans think the two are on completely different wavelengths.
At its core, the movie is about surviving domestic violence, the subject matter in no way calls for funny or fluffy press like a rom-com or traditional comedy would. Unfortunately, that seems to be exactly what the press tour was. Instead of discussing DV and advocating for victims of it, fans were told by Lively to "grab their friends and wear florals." The subject matter seemed to be completely glossed over. What's worse is that Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds and his mother were enlisted to do "funny, goofy" press interviews with various It Ends with Us cast members like Brandon Sklenar, Lively often promoted her new brand of hair care, and Deadpool & Wolverine was brought up far more than it should have.
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@regentcinemas Oh Ryan you scamp. Check out the full interview. It’s hilarious! #ryanreynolds #brandonsklenar #itendswithus #atlas #deadpool #filmtok #movietok #newmovie2024 #blakelively
At the recent New York City premiere of the film, Lively (who was also a producer) mentioned Reynolds having helped re-write the rooftop scene that appears in It Ends with Us (something screenwriter Christy Hall wasn't aware of when it happened), which led fans to speculate that maybe her husband was a little TOO involved in the film...
While again, no riff or tension has been confirmed by either parties, the press interviews are pretty... interesting to watch, let's just say that!
In a separate chat with Entertainment Tonight, Baldoni was asked about possibly directing the prequel It Starts with Us, and his answer was telling. "I think Blake Lively's ready to direct, that's what I think," Baldoni told ET. "This isn't my night, this is a night for all the women who we made this movie for. This is a night for Blake, this is a night for Colleen. I'm just so grateful that we're here, five years in the making."
@entertainmenttonight Justin Baldoni isn't down to direct the It Ends With Us sequel, but he thinks Blake Lively is ready to take on the job. #itendswithus #justinbaldoni #blakelively #colleenhoover
As the days have gone on since the theatrical release of It Ends with Us, the behind-the-scenes drama has continued to escalate even further, with claims being made regarding Baldoni's behavior on set, going as far to say he was body shaming his co-star Lively. According to a report from TMZ, Baldoni, who has had a history of back issues, Baldoni approached his on-set trainer to ask what Lively's weight was and how he could protect his back from injury before filming a scene with Lively where he has to physically pick her up.
TMZ's sources say Lively felt like her weight and body were being shamed by the move, and that led to her feeling "uncomfortable," which in turn fans think was a part of the catalyst to their perceived professional riff.
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As more and more rumors fly in, it's so unclear what truly went down on this production. Unfortunately, to make matters worse, in the midst of all this chaos, Baldoni has reportedly hired a crisis PR team (the same team that represented Johnny Depp during the Amber Heard trial) to deal with the aftermath of all this drama. It's unlikely we'll ever get the real behind-the-scenes tea anytime soon, however, like many fans, we hope to see some resolution in the future.
It Ends with Us is out in theaters now. (Just be mindful it's not the fun, flowery rom-com many have been made to believe it is!)