CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence.
It looks like the claws are out when it comes to Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s rumoured It Ends With Us beef, with sources claiming Justin made Blake “uncomfortable” on set and alleged new info about what happened in post-production coming to light.
Now, most of the below hasn’t been confirmed directly by the actors or their reps, but it’s feeling very messy. Please take it all with a grain of salt, but let’s dive into what’s going on.
ICYMI, fans first noticed how Justin Baldoni was absent from most of the cast promo for It Ends With Us before the premiere. Considering Justin directed the film and played the main character Ryle – the love interest of Lily Bloom, played by Blake – this is kinda suss.
Then, at the premiere, Blake Lively was seen posing with her husband Ryan Reynolds, It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover, as well as co-stars Jenny Slate, Brandon Sklenar and Isabela Ferra. Justin only posed on the carpet solo or with his wife, and internet sleuths have discovered Blake, Ryan, the cast and Colleen no longer follow Justin on Instagram – although he still follows them back.
Are Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds doing PR damage control?
The internet has generally been on Justin’s side, with many praising him for shining a light on domestic violence compared to Blake’s focus on her new haircare line, soda range and making fashion statements. I have a sneaky suspicion that the Blake and Ryan PR machine is now pulling out the big guns to repair their image, because there’s a new rumour emerging saying Justin made Blake “uncomfortable” on set.
According to Page Six, one source alleged Justin created an “extremely difficult” atmosphere for the cast behind the scenes. Another industry insider claimed “there were a few moments on set” which made Blake “feel uncomfortable” about her postpartum body.
There’s not much more information to back these claims up, so I would take that with a huge heaping of salt, the whole salt shaker if you will. Still, it’s interesting to hear this side.
Blake Lively with her other love interest in the film, Brandon Sklenar, and her husband Ryan Reynolds. But where’s Justin Baldoni? (Image: Getty)
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni confirm It Ends With Us beef
In separate interviews, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have also confirmed that It Ends With Us was tarnished with “friction” and creative differences.
In an interview with Elle, Justin said the hardest part of creating It Ends With Us was “friction” and “navigating personalities”. Sounds about right!
“There was a lot of pressure playing such a complex role like Ryle and, of course, as a filmmaker, you’re always navigating personalities,” he said.
“There’s always friction that happens when you make a movie like this. Then at the end of the day, it’s that friction, I believe, that creates the beautiful art.”
Meanwhile, Blake told Hits Radio UK that she had to fight to use a specific Lana Del Rey song in the final cut.
She told the interviewer she wasn’t “supposed to be talking about this”, but explained why she felt so passionate about the particular track.
It seems like she’s trying to put her stamp on the movie and let everybody know she was in charge.
Did Blake Lively make her own version of It Ends With Us in post-production?
TikToker @jennaredfield is attempting to get to the bottom of the drama, and found her DMs were filled with tips from people supposedly in the know. One person, who claimed to know the editor of the film, believes that Blake and Justin “hate each other”.
“She tried to take over the movie at every turn. The editor sides with Justin and doesn’t love Blake but who knows… Justin fought it [but] Blake wanted to re-cut the movie,” the anonymous person alleged.
This is unverified, but The Hollywood Reporter recently spilled some tea that sounds like it could be connected.
“There was a fracture among the filmmakers in the postproduction process, wherein two different cuts of the movie emerged,” insiders told The Hollywood Reporter.
Since Blake was also a producer on the movie, it’s not out of her job description to order her own edit. THR reports that multiple sources claimed she commissioned a separate version from editor Shane Reid, who cut both Taylor Swift’s “I Bet You Think About Me” video, directed by Blake, and the movie Deadpool & Wolverine.
The final credits for the movie have the editors down as Robb Sullivan and Oona Flaherty so it’s not known if any of Shane Reid’s edits made it into the finished version.
However, perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to read into what this really means – because another insider said having multiple edits is the norm.
“The team was in agreement on the final cut,” THR noted.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni from It Ends With Us. (Image: Getty)
Insiders claim Blake Lively felt fat-shamed by Justin Baldoni
The tea just keeps coming, and the latest goss about It Ends With Us revolves around Blake’s alleged feelings towards Justin’s actions on set.
There’s a moment in the movie where Justin’s character has to lift Blake’s character, and according to TMZ, he was concerned due to a history of back issues.
An insider revealed that Justin allegedly asked his on-set trainer Blake’s weight, so he could train in a way to “protect his back from injury”.
When Blake heard about this, she allegedly felt she was being fat-shamed and was “really bothered”.
Another source claimed Blake also believed Justin “lingered longer than he should have” during one of their kissing scenes. Spicy.
Passionate… or lingering for too long? (Image: Getty)
Justin Baldoni hires top crisis PR manager
Justin Baldoni has also hired top crisis public relations manager Melissa Nathan to help protect his image, as per The Hollywood Reporter and People.
Her talent roster includes Drake, Logan Paul, Johnny Depp and Scooter Braun’s HYBE America.
It’s raised a few eyebrows, seeing as Justin has been claiming to want to spread awareness about domestic violence during the press tour – yet this PR firm represents the alleged abuser Johnny Depp.
The management firm The Agency Group specialises in “media cleanup and brand management”, which is something Justin definitely needs at the moment.
Does Justin Baldoni have his friends joining the PR battle?
Influencers Tiffany and Caleb Remington (@ustheremingtons) took to TikTok to defend Justin Baldoni, saying while they don’t know Blake Lively or Ryan Reynolds, they had a great experience working with the director on Five Feet Apart.
“I don’t know the behind-the-scenes so I can’t make comment to that, but what I do have an opinion on is the person that Justin Baldoni is. That is, he truly is the caring man that you perceive him to be,” Tiffany said.
“We have first-hand experience of watching him direct on set. In the film Five Feet Apart he invited us [on set] for a reshoot with Cole Sprouse. Why? Because my husband has cystic fibrosis and he wanted to make sure whatever they were shooting in the hospital room was a true depiction of what it looks like for my husband and other patients.”
She went on to say that the PR Justin is doing – by talking about domestic violence – is no different to the PR he did for his previous two movies, Five Feet Apart and Clouds, where he chose to “centre the focus around the vulnerable population”.
“I do feel some type of way seeing how the marketing and the press junket on Blake and Ryan’s side… they’re forcing it to be something that it’s not like a light, airy rom-com, Eras Tour, grab your girls… this isn’t the type of subject that is being talked in the book or the movie. So if there [were] creative differences, I believe it is that,” Tiffany added.
What have former extras and crew members said?
On TikTok, people who claim to have worked with Justin Baldoni in the past are sharing how much they loved working with the director.
“I’m a post-producer and the first movie I worked on was Five Feet Apart. He’s such a kind human,” one person claimed.
“I was on set with him for Clouds movie and he was such a stand-up guy, talked to the crew and background actors like human beings,” another said.
“I was on set for a day – my daughter was a featured extra. He was very kind and welcoming,” added a third.
Justin Baldoni only posed with his wife and friends on the It Ends With Us red carpet. (Image: Getty)
Another TikToker (@itgirlkailyn), who claims to have been an extra on It Ends With Us, also added her two cents.
“I was on set and [Justin Baldoni] was literally the nicest person ever, like it actually shocked me how good vibes it was on the set,” she said.
“He came outside of where we were shooting to come up to the extras… and introduced himself, and was like making sure we were all good, he was like, ‘Do you guys need anything? Are we all doing good?’… I don’t know what’s going on, but he seemed amazing.”
In the end, the real winners of this whole ~feud~ have been Sony and Wayfarer Studios, with It Ends With Us opening at the US box office with $80 million USD ($121 million AUD) globally. It only cost $25 million USD ($28 million AUD) to make, so this is a massive win.
There are a bunch of people who think it’s all a marketing stunt to mirror Don’t Worry Darling’s cast drama, but I’m not convinced. Until I see one of the cast members spit in someone’s lap, that is!
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
Feature Image: Getty
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