Blake Lively Reportedly ‘Felt out of Control’ Amid ‘It Ends With Us’ Drama
All the It Ends With Us drama reportedly left its star, Blake Lively, feeling “out of control.” While she hasn’t spoken publicly about the backlash surrounding a potential feud with her co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, how things played out in the media is said to have “upset” Lively.
The ‘It Ends With Us’ drama ‘surprised’ Blake Lively
The flurry of media attention and speculation online about a potential feud between Lively and Baldoni “surprised” her. Lively, the insider told People, was “pretty surprised at the backlash and drama” surrounding the movie’s release.
“She initially felt very vulnerable and upset,” they added of the Gossip Girl alum. “During the promotion of the movie, not one day went by when she was not in the news in an unfavorable light. She’s just not used to this kind of drama.”
The situation “felt out of control to her,” they explained, noting it didn’t dampen Lively’s spirits. She still “enjoys working and will continue to push forward projects that she’s excited about.” (The 37-year-old’s next movie is A Simple Favor 2.)
Speculation about Baldoni, Lively feud heated up after the ‘It Ends With Us’ premiere
Talk of possible drama behind the scenes intensified when Lively and Baldoni didn’t pose for photos together at the It Ends With Us premiere. It came after they didn’t promote the movie together and rarely, if ever, mentioned each other during interviews.
Some online were also quick to point out that Lively left Baldoni out of her social media posts around the time of the movie’s release when she gushed about many of her other co-stars and Colleen Hoover, the author of the best-selling book that inspired the movie.
While Baldona initially came under fire, criticism soon shifted to Lively. Her co-star, Brandon Sklenar, came to her defense in an Instagram post. He addressed the “negativity” toward his female co-stars, especially in light of the movie’s domestic violence storyline.
“Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive,” he said, noting it also “detracts from what this film is about. It is, in fact, the opposite of the point.”
Whether or not Lively will return for a potential ‘It Ends With Us’ sequel is unclear
Despite the box office success of It Ends With Us—the film’s grossed over $300 million worldwide—a follow-up with Lively is unclear. There’s material for a sequel as Hoover continued Atlas and Lily’s story in her novel, It Starts With Us.
However, no studio execs or cast members have suggested that serious conversations have already taken place. The closest anyone’s come to discussing a sequel came when Baldoni, who owns the rights to turn It Starts With Us into a movie, suggested to Entertainment Weekly that Lively direct were it to happen.
It’s also important to note it still might be a little too early for talk of a sequel to have happened behind closed doors. After all, the movie premiered on Aug. 9, 2024. For now, It Ends With Us is in theaters until, at a yet-to-be-revealed date, it begins streaming on Netflix (via Forbes).
How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.
