This year has remained strong with its controversies. However, it has shocked many online that “It Ends With Us” co-stars, Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, have made headlines by joining the list of feuding celebrities. Sparked by accusations of unprofessional and appalling behavior behind the scenes and cringe-worthy press tours, “It Ends With Us” has proven the best thing for all parties involved is for this stint in the media to end as soon as possible.
The 2024 film “It Ends With Us” is based on the book of the same name by Colleen Hoover. Hoover, a former social worker, has used her books to address many topics, such as domestic violence, with content geared toward younger women. Her audience and execution of these ideas have made her a rather controversial figure, as many believe she produced content romanticizing these toxic situations to her audience of impressional young girls.
Following the announcement of a film adaptation of “It Ends With Us,” many expected the powerful yet sensitive message of the story be conveyed from the beginning. The book offers an in-depth testimony of domestic violence, sexual assault, mental and physical trauma and the breaking of generational trauma.
The story follows Lily Bloom (Lively), a florist who enters a relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle (Baldoni). However, the bond quickly becomes violent and forces Lily to confront the generational cycle of abuse in her family. When transitioning this story onto the screen, it seems like Baldoni, who also directed the feature, and Lively had differing opinions on how this message should be handled.
An article by the Hollywood Reporter on August 8 told of the alleged rift between Baldoni and Lively during post-production when two different cuts of the movie emerged. In an exclusive to People, sources close to Baldoni stated Lively’s ambition to sit in the director's chair had sidelined Baldoni with the quote, “[Lively] wants to direct the next movie, sidelining him and securing the rights from Colleen.”
These rumors seemingly gained more weight with Baldoni’s absence from the main press tour, along with the entire cast unfollowing Baldoni on social media. Hoover, who formerly followed Baldoni and had multiple posts together on each other’s social media, also unfollowed Baldoni.
Lively’s producing credit appears to have led to her large stake in the movie’s direction, including having her husband Ryan Reynolds write a large portion of a major scene in the movie according to an interview with E! News. Christy Hall, the film’s screenwriter, stated the news came as a surprise and believed Blake was just improvising in a People interview.
Along with these behind the scenes scandals, red carpet events were also awkward for the film’s press. Baldoni was only seen posing with his wife, family and friends while Lively has been in the wrathful eye of the media due to her supposed lack of seriousness surrounding the movie's topics.
Lively has promoted the film as if it were a regular rom-com, telling fans to “Grab your friends. Wear your florals, and head out to see it,” in an Instagram promotional video. The remark left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans, with some expressing the film is not “Barbie.” Lively has even used this movie to promote her new hair care line.
When asked by interviewer Jake Hamilton about how fans who connected with Lily should approach Lively in public, she gave a strange response. In the clip, Lively responded by saying, “Should I give them like my address? Or my phone number? Or location share—I could location share you.” The answer is riddled with satire, but its tone does not match the seriousness of the question. While the clip has circulated around the internet despite leaving out Lively’s more serious response, many fans have called out Lively’s response.
Fans have also called out Lively for declining to wear a friendship bracelet given to her by a fan because it did not match her outfit. Another incident from Lively’s past resurfaced admist the controversies, including an interview with journalist Kjersti Flaa. The clip was taken in 2016, after Lively announced her second pregnancy, where the interviewer congratulated Lively on “her little bump.” Lively replied with “congratulations on your little bump” to Flaa, who was not pregnant and dealing with fertility issues.
Fans are doubting the future of the possible franchise due to the negative press surrounding the film. While some feel like Lively has promoted this movie lazily and breaking the hearts of survivors who looked up to her, others feel Baldoni has given the topic the seriousness and respect it deserves. Baldoni has been vocal about domestic abuse survivors and the research that went into understanding the thought process of perpetrators, even going to court-mandated therapy groups of perpetrators to understand Ryle.
Despite the negative press tour of the movie, the film’s box office numbers have been great. Still, the many controversies of “It Ends With Us” are sure to plague any sequel in development.
