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After much anticipation, the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling book It Ends With Us is finally here. Despite its somewhat dark themes, the promise of an electric chemistry between co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni kept fans eager. Unfortunately, the chemistry hasn’t translated into real life. The film has now been marred by rumors of a feud between the leading actors. Although the speculations were born out of TikTok conspiracy theories, they seem to have escalated into a tussle for creative control. Neither party has commented on the rift, leaving fans in the dark. Luckily, here are some answers.
It Starts With Ghosting At Press Tours
The drama began when eagle-eyed fans noticed Baldoni was being shunned during the press appearances promoting the movie. The Jane The Virgin alum was noticeably absent from official press tours, starting from the Book Bonaza festival and a surprise screening in June. At the time, Baldoni was reportedly recovering from an infection, so no eyebrows were raised. However, fans’ suspicions rose when he was secluded during the film’s New York premiere on Aug. 6. While Lively posed with the rest of the cast, Baldoni was nowhere to be seen in the group picture. Although he walked the red carpet, he only took pictures with his wife and kids. Things were made worse when it was discovered that neither Lively, Hoover nor the rest of the main cast followed Baldoni on Instagram. Here’s the weird thing — he follows them all on Instagram.
It Continues With A Tussle For Creative Control
With an absent Baldoni during the press tours, the conspiracy theories kicked in. Social media was filled with speculations that Lively brought on her husband Ryan Reynolds, pushing her co-lead to the side. Baldoni is the director, with Lively as the producer. Also, the actor’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, secured the rights to the book in 2019. Flames of the speculations were stoked when the Gossip Girl alum seemingly confirmed Reynold’s input in the movie. “The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it,” she told E! News. “We help each other. He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does.” Unfortunately, Reynolds’ contribution wasn’t fully approved, according to screenwriter Christy Hall. Hall revealed that she wasn’t aware the Deadpool actor wrote the dialogue of that scene. Sources tell THR that the beef can be traced a miscommunication during the post-production process, resulting in two different cuts.
It Intensifies As The Cast Sides With Blake Lively Over Justin Baldoni
Just when social media was pointing accusing fingers at Lively for ousting Baldoni, an insider revealed that was far from the case. The source told People Magazine:
“All is not what it seems. There is much more to this story. The principal cast and [author] Colleen Hoover will have nothing to do with him.”
Although the source didn’t explain why, a different insider told Daily Mail that Baldoni was “chauvinistic” and “borderline abusive” on set. The informant claimed the 40-year-old had a “dismissive” attitude to Lively’s input while filming abuse scenes.
“During scenes depicting abuse, Justin failed to consider Blake’s character’s perspective, instead focusing solely on what he believed was the abusive male viewpoint. His approach was very chauvinistic, creating a tense atmosphere.”
It Ends With A Heated Argument Between Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni On Set
The allegations against Baldoni were further intensified when a video of him and Lively seemingly having a confrontation surfaced. The clip obtained by TMZ was shot on May 17, 2023, outside a Hoboken, NJ restaurant. The Savages actress looked upset while heatedly arguing with her co-star. Baldoni didn’t act in the scene; he only directed the episode. Sources claim the viral video doesn’t tell the true story. Lively and Baldoni were reportedly just having a discussion while in between takes.
Although the truth about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s feud might never come to light, their drama surrounding it is quite entertaining.
