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.”
The pair star in the much-anticipated big-screen version of Colleen Hoover’s hit novel about a toxic and abusive romance, out Friday. But rumors have swirled this week as the two seemed to avoid each other at the movie’s Manhattan premiere Monday.
Fans are currently speculating that there’s beef between Justin Baldoni, the film’s director and male lead, and Blake Lively, the film’s star and producer. But let’s start at the beginning.
If the press for It Ends With Us is just starting to cross your transom, you might think that this whole project is Lively’s baby. In the film, she plays Lily Bloom, a florist (Hoover does not believe in subtlety) who finds herself in an abusive relationship with a sexy neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
In order to promote the film, Lively has surprised fans, done talk-backs, and given countless interviews. Somehow, she’s managed to do all of this press without interacting with or even really mentioning Baldoni, the man who actually brought this movie to life.
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Rumors began to swirl after Baldoni’s notable absence from the film’s joint press events, lack of group cast photos at the New York premiere and the fact that Lively doesn’t follow Baldoni on Instagram.
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.
Not since Don’t Worry Darling (remember spit-gate?), or maybe Madame Web, have social media users been so dedicated to parsing a film’s press appearances like they are for the Zapruder film.
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.
What is the other controversy surrounding the It Ends With Us adaptation?
The cast drama rumors aside, the movie has also faced backlash as some fans criticized the portrayal of intimate partner violence. In both the book and the film adaptation (warning: spoilers ahead), the story revolves around Lily Bloom as she embarks on a romance with Ryle. However, over time, he becomes emotionally, sexually and physically abusive towards Lily. Though they ultimately part ways in the end, she allows him to continue to co-parent their daughter.
This has been a point of contention for readers, as some question Lily’s choice to keep Ryle around while others praise the realistic nature of the relationship. Hoover has candidly opened up about how watching her own parents’ relationship influenced the story.
“One of my earliest memories was him throwing a TV at her,” she told Today in 2023. “We grew up in an abusive household up to that point. There were no resources for women to leave situations like that,” she continued, adding her mother divorced her father when she was 2. “She was able to get out of that relationship. And then from then on, I just remember growing up with a mother who was so strong and independent.”
Justin Baldoni, who serves as the film’s director in addition to starring in it, told Time Out magazine that he did not want to use sets for the film.