Drama Unfolds on the Red Carpet: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s Creative Differences
In the spotlight, the drama unfolds. It’s a tale as old as time: boy directs movie adaptation of best-selling novel, boy hires girl to play lead role, boy and girl have creative differences, boy and girl promote the movie together while pretending the other one doesn’t exist. This is the apparent drama brewing between It Ends With Us leads Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively.
The pair has been attending premieres of the movie, which raked in more than $80 million in its opening weekend, separately, sparking rumors about their supposed fallout. The movie, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 No. 1 New York Times best-selling novel, tells the story of Lily Bloom, a florist, and her romantic relationship with Ryle Kincaid, who becomes physically and sexually abusive.
The trouble began during post-production, when The Hollywood Reporter reported that there had been a “fracture among the filmmakers” that led Lively to commission a cut of the movie from editor Shane Reid. However, other sources claimed this was not uncommon for a film in post-production.
The tension between the co-stars has been evident, with neither of them following each other on social media. Baldoni has also not appeared in any of the film’s red carpet photos with Lively, instead opting to walk the carpet on his own or with his wife. When asked about working with Lively, Slate dodged the question, saying it was an “intense job” with too many responsibilities.
Baldoni has been publicly gracious about Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, crediting them for their contributions to the movie. However, he has also hinted at possible creative differences, stating that he thinks Lively is ready to direct the sequel.
The film has also faced criticism for its light-hearted promotion of domestic violence. Lively has used the movie to promote her brand Betty Buzz, selling bouquets and cocktails tied to her character’s love for flowers. This choice has been criticized by Rolling Stone’s CT Jones, who believes Hollywood has not found a respectful way to market movies about domestic violence.
As the drama unfolds on the red carpet, it remains to be seen how the creative differences between Baldoni and Lively will affect the film’s future. One thing is certain: the spotlight is shining bright on this perceived drama, and the world is waiting to see what happens next.
