Are Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni really at war over 'It Ends With ...
From Instagram unfollows, to leaked BTS footage and fan backlash, the press run for ‘It Ends With Us’ has been controversial, to say the least.
Fans are convinced there is MAJOR beef between Blake Lively and her co-star Justin Baldoni, who also happens to be the director.
Meanwhile, others are just pissed at how differently - and separately - they've each approached promoting the film, which tells a story of domestic violence.
All the drama surrounding the flick has been dominating headlines, with new info coming to light by the day - so let's try and unpack what we know so far, okay?
Did the cast of 'It Ends With Us' all unfollow Justin Baldoni?
Yes, and not just them, either. Eagle-eyed fans noticed that all of the movie's main actors are not following Justin. That even extends to Blake's husband Ryan Reynolds - who she says wrote one pivotal scene in the film - Colleen Hoover - who wrote the book that inspired it has also unfollowed the director since filming.
Looks like Justin hasn’t unfollowed anyone, making things even more awkward…
Shady comments from the cast on the red carpet
Rumours have been swirling that creative differences could be behind Justin and Blake's beef, with the Hollywood Reporter alleging that Blake commissioned a separate final cut of the film from an editor from her husband’s film 'Deadpool vs Wolverine'.
Speculation that Blake may have stepped on Justin’s toes was seemingly confirmed after he was asked by Entertainment Tonight if he would return to film the sequel, with Justin saying "I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct. That’s what I think."
Meanwhile, Blake has been dodging questions about Justin as seen in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment where she avoids answering a question about ‘building trust’ with her co-star.
BTS video footage of Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's 'on-set argument' goes viral
TMZ released a video that appears to show Blake and Justin getting into it during filming, which many fans have taken as confirmation of a falling out.
A source from TMZ has since come out to claim they were only talking, but it's done little to put to rest the idea the two are in each other's bad books.
Justin Baldoni left out of 'It Ends With Us' interviews, attends premiere alone
At the New York premiere of the movie, Page Six claimed that Blake and the entire cast sat in a different theatre from Justin and they were seen separately on the red carpet.
The director has also not appeared in any group interviews with the other actors since the film premiered, most notably, a Vanity Fair quiz that features all of the main cast.
Justin Baldoni's former crew and co-stars defend him amid backlash
Much has been said about how the 'It Ends With Us' cast will have "nothing to do" with Justin Baldoni, but there's less information about why. Page Six claimed that Justin made Blake feel "uncomfortable" on set, which isn't entirely difficult to imagine, seeing as he was playing her abuser. Still, several people have come forward to speak to Justin's character.
TikToker Tiffany Remmington worked with Justin on the film 'Five Feet Apart', a story of two teens living with cystic fibrosis. She said that Justin cared so much about telling the story correctly, he re-shot scenes and enlisted advice from families who deal with cystic fibrosis in their day-to-day life to make sure their voices were heard.
One commenter who said they were on the set of 'Clouds' with Justin called him a "standup guy".
"He talked to the crew and background actors like human beings," they wrote.
Another agreed, saying: "I was on that set too and that was my experience with him as well. So nice!"
Now of course, none of this means he COULDN'T have been a jerk to Blake Lively, but it is something to consider.
Blake Lively cops heat for not championing the films' serious message
From wearing one of Britney Spears' dresses on the red carpet to hanging out with Baby Spice, Blake seems to have been having a ball on the 'It Ends With Us' press tour. Critics have suggested the vibe of her promotional run hasn't been appropriate for a movie about abuse, with many insisting Justin Baldoni is more focused on the importance of the story.
Blake’s personal Instagram is flooded with comments from "disappointed" fans, with one claiming she "missed the entire purpose of the movie."
Another said "as a DV survivor... to say that this is so disappointing would be an understatement."
Blake has since posted a link on her Instagram story with resources for survivors of domestic violence, which some are seeing as belated damage control.
So is there or isn’t there drama? Is it all for PR? Only time will tell…
