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14th August 2024
04:32pm BST
It Ends With Us is one of the most talked about films at the moment, but for the wrong reasons.
The drama and tension surrounding the film's press tour have completely taken away from the domestic violence storyline.
But what exactly is going on with the It Ends With Us cast?
My entire FYP has been filled with hot takes about the press tour, reactions to Lively's blasé attitude, and Baldoni's solo media appearances - but how did the drama begin?
Concerns sparked initially when fans noticed Baldoni was not promoting the film alongside Blake Lively, despite being the lead actor. Baldoni is also the film's director so many believed he chose to step back from promoting the film with the cast.
However, others believe he was excluded after a fallout with Blake Lively and Colleen Hoover. The pair reportedly unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram after clashing over creative differences on the set.
In an interview with Hits UK, Lively alluded to the creative differences.
Lively fought to have the song Cherry by Lana Del Rey featured in the movie, but others were against it.
"They begged me to take that song out of the movie. I'm not supposed to be talking about this," she said while rolling her eyes.
She continued: "They felt like it was too charged and heavy. Things are still good with Ryle at that point. So you don't want to feel that charge."
The song ended up being included in the scene but has caused controversy with many fans believing it was the completely wrong move.
Baldoni also alluded to tensions on set in a recent interview with Today.
He admitted it is often hard to deal with all of the conflicting personalities on set.
"Every movie is a miracle. And then, of course, you’re navigating complex personalities and trying to get everybody on the same page with the same vision," he explained.
However, the director has praised Lively and described her as "a dynamic creative".
Videos of Baldoni and Lively arguing on set have surfaced on TikTok, but the actor and director stressed that there are always going to be disagreements on set.
He told Elle UK: "There are all these things that happen every day on set; 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,” he said.
someone on tiktok caught blake lively and justin baldoni arguing on the it ends with us set pic.twitter.com/copgW3G4TO
— nico (@cinefibrother) August 12, 2024
"Everything in life needs friction to grow. We created something so beautiful and so magical, and it was hard, but it was worth it. And I grew so much as both a filmmaker, an actor, and as a person throughout this experience."
Baldoni may claim there is no tension but he has ruled out returning for any future projects.
The actor said he doesn't think he's the right person to direct the sequel.
"I think there are better people for that one. I think Blake is ready to direct, that’s what I think," he admitted in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
I can't help but wonder if the insensitive way Lively and Hoover are promoting the film is what actually caused tension between them and Baldoni. To give credit where credit is due, Baldoni has been promoting the film with the grace and respect it deserves.
Sharing a domestic violence storyline in film is something that needs to be handled with a certain delicacy but promoting the movie as a rom-com you should see with 'your girls' is completely wrong.
Seeing Lively treat this as her own version of the Barbie press tour has made many, myself included, feel unsettled, especially after watching the film.
There are scenes so intense in It Ends With Us that I wanted to leave the cinema screen at some points.
Joking about 'wearing your florals', promoting a haircare line, and failing to share domestic violence support lines until she was guilted into doing so has tainted the press run. It's made fans of the book and cinema-goers lose not only interest but respect for the film completely.
Despite the drama surrounding the press tour, It Ends With Us has exceeded box office expectations with the film grossing $50 million in its opening weekend. The film debuted in the second spot at the box office with Deadpool & Wolverine beating it to the top spot.
Deadline previously projected It Ends With Us would gross above $30 million in its opening weekend. One can't help but wonder if the press tour drama was a ploy to promote the film because it is certainly working in their favour.
I like to think the cast and crew respect the sensitive storyline enough to not fake a feud for PR.
Could they do more to discuss the domestic abuse storyline? Without a doubt. Baldoni is one of few cast members who has spoken out about domestic abuse and survivors during interviews.
Lively did reflect on how important it was for her to play Lily Bloom during an interview with Her.ie.
She said: "This very much is Lily’s story and Lily is a person who leads with empathy.
"She has these men in her life or powerful figures, for good or for bad or everything in between, but really it’s her story.
"She’s not defined by these men and she’s not defined by what they’ve done to her. They are not her identity and nothing that’s ever happened to her is her identity.
"The most important thing to convey here is that this is something that happened to you but it’s not who you are.
Baldoni said he welcomes critics' opinions on the film, but said he is always thinking of the victims.
He told Associated Press: "Look, we live in a culture where, unfortunately, too many things are glorified. We are fighting for attention, we're in an attention economy…and so it makes perfect sense that people would feel that way."
"If anybody has had that real-life [domestic violence] experience, I can imagine how hard it would be to imagine their experience being in a romance novel. To them I would just offer that we were very intentional in the making of this movie," he added.
If you're a victim of domestic abuse you can contact the Women's Aid National Helpline on 1800 341 900.
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