Blake Lively was ‘surprised’ and ‘upset’ by the drama swirling around her box office hit It Ends With Us
Blake Lively was caught off guard by all the drama surrounding her new film It Ends With Us, which centers on her co-star and director Justin Baldoni.
The alleged rift between the co-stars arose during post-production, as they both clashed over their own visions for the film.
While neither Lively, 37, nor Baldoni, 40, have spoken publicly about the alleged rift between them, Variety essentially confirmed: ‘the hostility between the two is very real.’
It remains to be seen whether Lively or Baldoni will ever speak publicly about their alleged conflict, according to a new report from People reveals that Lively was “surprised” by the outcome.
“She felt very vulnerable and upset at first. During the promotion of the film, not a day went by that she wasn’t in the news in an unfavorable light,” the source said, adding, “She’s just not used to this kind of drama.”
Blake Lively was caught off guard by all the drama surrounding her new film It Ends With Us, which centers on her co-star and director Justin Baldoni
While neither Lively, 37, nor Baldoni, 40, have spoken publicly about the alleged rift between them, Variety essentially confirmed that “the animosity between the two is very real.”
Lively said she was “quite surprised by the negative reactions and the drama” and felt like she “had no control” over the situation.
The drama hasn’t stopped her from exploring new projects, however, with the source adding that she “loves to work and continues to pursue projects she’s passionate about.”
The film is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel of the same name, which became hugely popular through the rise of the ‘BookTok’ community on TikTok.
Speculation about on-set drama surfaced on BookTok. Social media users noted that Lively and Baldoni never posed together on the red carpet, and that Lively, author Hoover, and none of the other cast members follow him on social media… even though he follows them all.
Than The Hollywood Reporter In early August, it was confirmed that there had indeed been a rift between Lively, who also worked on the film as a producer, and Baldoni.
Lively also used her talents as a producer to commission Shane Reid to create a completely new version of the film, Reid having previously edited her husband Ryan Reynolds’ hit Deadpool & Wolverine.
There is no indication whether any of Reid’s version was used in the film, which was credited to editors Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan.
Unlike many projects where controversy affects the box office, It Ends With Us was still a box office success, despite mixed reviews from critics (57% on Rotten Tomatoes).
Lively was reportedly “quite taken aback by the negative reactions and drama” and the situation “felt like she was losing control”
The drama hasn’t stopped her from exploring new projects, however, with the source adding that she “loves to work and continues to pursue projects she’s passionate about.”
Lively also used her powers as a producer to commission a completely new version of the film from Shane Reid, who edited her husband Ryan Reynolds’ hit Deadpool & Wolverine
Unlike many projects where controversy affects the box office, It Ends With Us was still a box office success, despite mixed reviews from critics (57% on Rotten Tomatoes)
The film has been a huge success, grossing over $50 million by early August, double its budget.
The film grossed $141.3 million in the US and $309.3 million worldwide, despite its budget of only $25 million.
However, prospects for a sequel – which would likely be based on Hoover’s 2022 sequel novel It Starts With Us – may have been dashed, via Variety.
“This is uncharted territory and no one has any idea what a sequel would look like. There’s probably no world where these two would work together again,” a source said.