Despite the box office success of It Ends With Us, the last couple of weeks have not exactly been the best for Blake Lively’s reputation.
The executive producer and star of the film adaptation of the popular Colleen Hoover novel has been criticized for her behavior on the movie’s press tour, particularly in the way Lively has been marketing It Ends With Us.
Despite the heavy subject matter of domestic violence, Lively has presented the movie as a chick flick. “Grab your friends and wear your florals!” Lively says in one promotional clip of the film:
I hate to disagree with Blake Lively, but I have to on this one.
I don’t suggest to “grab your friends and wear your florals” to see #ItEndsWithUs.
— Kaitlyn Sanchez (@KaitlynMSanchez) August 13, 2024
Lively has also been using the press tour to promote her new hair care line and her cocktail company Betty Booze. It’s all tone deaf at best and self-absorbed at worst. Or, honestly, probably a bit of both.
In comparison to Lively’s questionable marketing choices, the movie’s director Justin Baldoni’s approach to promoting the movie has been far different.
Baldoni has used the press tour as an opportunity to put survivors and victims of DV at the front and center. In a red carpet interview, Baldoni stresses the importance of raising awareness about domestic violence as well as providing resources to those who need help.
Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer also partnered with the No More Foundation to give resources and education on domestic and sexual violence, further cementing his commitment to empowering survivors and victims of DV.
@entertainmenttonight Justin Baldoni made ‘It Ends With Us’ for the Lily Blooms 💗 #justinbaldoni #itendswithus #lilybloom#blakelively #colleenhoover
♬ original sound – Entertainment Tonight – Entertainment Tonight
The starkly different approaches to promoting their movie punctuates the rumored feud between Lively and Baldoni even more. Reports of creative differences apparently made working on the movie difficult to say the least.
However, some of the most damning instances for Lively has been in the way she has handled interviews and questions about the movie’s themes.
In one clip, when asked about how she would respond to a fan who saw themselves in her character Lily Bloom in It Ends With Us and was moved by the film on a “deeply personal level.” Her reply?
“Do you mean, like, asking for my address, or my phone number, or location share? I could just location-share you!”
Watching Blake Lively, The Plantation Princess, be so flip and cruel about victims of domestic violence is really something.
You could have just learned the names of one or two resources for DV victims and said you’d guide them to those resources. pic.twitter.com/WHiCxLdKQ5
— Cooper (@Cooperstreaming) August 14, 2024
Yikes, girlie.
Anyway, Lively’s detached, unkind demeanor came as no surprise to Norwegian interviewer Kjersti Flaa. Last week, Flaa uploaded a 2016 interview with Lively.
Lively was promoting Café Society along with her costar Parker Posey. The four-minute exchange is…something else.
Flaa titled the YouTube video “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job.” In the video’s caption, Flaa writes, “Sitting down with Blake Lively and her co star Parker Posey for Cafe Society (2016) is the most uncomfortable interview situation I have ever experienced.”
From mocking Flaa to essentially ignoring her entirely, it gives major mean girl energy and complete unprofessionalism.
Watch the interview below:
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