Here's Why Social Media Users Think 'It Ends With Us' Stars Blake ...

15 Aug 2024

Forbes

Topline

“It Ends With Us” actor-director Justin Baldoni reportedly hired a crisis public relations manager amid speculation that the film’s cast, including Baldoni and actor-producer Blake Lively, have been feuding while promoting the adaptation of the popular Colleen Hoover novel, with reports indicating there were disputes in post-production and social media users noting a lack of joint press events.

Blake Lively stars in "It Ends With Us," directed by and co-starring Justin Baldoni. (Photo by John ... [+] Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)

Variety via Getty Images Key Facts

Baldoni hired Melissa Nathan, a crisis PR manager who specializes in publicity and reputation management and previously represented Johnny Depp during his trial with Amber Heard, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Unnamed sources told The Hollywood Reporter there was a “fracture” among the filmmakers in post-production and that Lively, who was a producer on the film, had commissioned her own cut of the film from editor Shane Reid, who was the editor on her husband Ryan Reynolds’ film “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

Another source told The Hollywood Reporter Lively’s cut may not indicate a feud, as it is not uncommon for a film to undergo multiple cuts during post-production and the filmmaking team agreed on the final cut.

Fans have also analyzed the stars’ social media activity, noticing Baldoni follows both Hoover—who also served as executive producer—and Lively, while neither follow Baldoni.

Lively said Reynolds wrote one scene that is reportedly a fan-favorite from the book, sparking speculation about whether there were disputes with Baldoni over creative control, though multiple unnamed sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Reynolds did not write the entire scene.

Lively told Hits Radio UK about one clash she had on set (which she said she is “not supposed to be talking about”), though she did not specify who it was with, claiming “they begged” her to remove a Lana Del Rey song from the film.

Baldoni told Elle on Monday there is “always friction that happens when you make a movie like this,” but said that friction is what “creates the beautiful art.”

Forbes has reached out to representatives for Lively and Baldoni for comment.

Surprising Fact

Much of the “It Ends With Us” cast appeared in a video for Vanity Fair on Monday in which they test how well they know each other, including Lively and five of her co-stars—but not Baldoni. Many commenters on the YouTube video asked where Baldoni was. “There is no cast without Justin Baldoni, this makes zero sense,” the most-liked comment states.

Contra

Baldoni has praised Lively’s performance and contributions as a producer throughout the “It Ends With Us” press tour. Baldoni appeared on the Today Show on Thursday and called Lively a “dynamic creative,” stating “everything she touched, she made better.” Baldoni also told People on Thursday that he was “mesmerized’ by Lively, who “checked all the boxes” to be cast in the lead role. He told Cosmopolitan he “just knew she was Lily,” the film’s main character, after their first meeting and said Lively was very involved during production and had “amazing ideas.”

Tangent

Fans claimed the cast of “It Ends With Us” has avoided discussing Baldoni on the press tour. Lively appears to have strayed from making comments about Baldoni in interviews—she did not mention her co-star and director by name during her interviews with Capital FM, CBS Mornings or Good Day New York. Access Hollywood asked Lively about how she navigated her chemistry with Baldoni and how Lively choreographed some of the intimate scenes, but in Lively’s response, she did not address Baldoni and instead discussed the importance of intimacy coordinators and praised Hoover as a “great filmmaker.” An interview clip of Jenny Slate, who also acted in the movie, garnered attention on social media because Slate seemingly avoided a question about Baldoni. A Deadline reporter asked Slate what it was like working with Baldoni as both her director and scene partner, and Slate said it must be difficult balancing two jobs, without discussing Baldoni by name, and she herself would prefer just to act.

Big Number

$50 million. That’s how much “It Ends With Us” grossed in its opening weekend, ranking second at the box office, just behind Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds’ film, “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which grossed $54.2 million. The film debuted above expectations: Deadline previously projected it would gross above $30 million in its opening weekend.

Chief Critics

“It Ends With Us” received middling reviews from critics. It has a 58% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 136 reviews, with the critics consensus stating it has “clunky dialogue,” though it is “earnestly performed.” Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy said the film fails to balance the “realities of domestic violence inside a rom-com and a female-empowerment movie.” The Guardian critic Benjamin Lee said the film is a “plot of hackneyed soap tropes,” but said Lively and Baldoni have “effective chemistry.”