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Blake Lively is globally adored, but after recent controversy, that may change.

You may know Blake Lively from her roles in Gossip Girl, The Age of Adaline, and maybe even The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants. In other words, Lively has been a household name in Hollywood for quite some time, and surprise! She is trending on the tabloids again. This time it’s for all the wrong reasons.

Recently, Lively has gotten herself into some trouble regarding her role in the new box office success, It Ends With Us. Written by Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us is a compelling story about ending the cycle of domestic violence. Hoover is an author who has been put on blast previously for romanticizing abuse, and this leaves us wondering, was the movie already set up for failure? Despite Hoover’s troubling past and Lively’s messy PR moves, movie watchers across the globe have expressed that the movie tells a superb story and is nicely done; however, some were surprised about the plot of the movie, being that they did not read the book. 

The audience’s reason for surprise can be traced back to Lively, who has said in interviews, 

“[So] grab your friends, wear your florals and head down to the theater.” 

 Not exactly the way a story about domestic violence should be marketed, especially by someone who plays such a big role in the movie. So, it is easy to see where moviegoers could have gotten confused, as it seems like she is promoting a romantic comedy. Make no mistake, fans have called out Lively, noting that what she said was tone-deaf and inappropriate.

The backlash Lively received on her incentive remarks didn’t stop her from again distracting viewers from the message of the movie. Instead of speaking out against domestic violence during the press tour, she instead utilized the media attention to advertise her new hairline. It seems like when it comes to press related activities she consistently misses the mark. It’s unfortunate that Lively has been busy pushing all the wrong agendas for this film rather than taking advantage of the publicity, and using it as a resource to help those who experience domestic abuse every day.

There is a stark comparison between Lively and the movie’s director/Lively’s co-star, Justin Baldoni in regarding the press tour. He is actively bringing awareness to domestic violence to further educate people on the struggles and hardships that many face. Baldoni even partnered with the “No More Foundation,” which is dedicated to ending domestic abuse. In interviews, Baldoni expresses that he hopes people can go to the theater and see a version of themselves in the characters, in order to become better. Baldoni worked hard to advocate against domestic violence during press and all throughout the creation of the film. This has been a project of passion for him since 2019 when he first got rights to the movie.  

In addition to Lively’s unprofessionalism during the press tour, she was also stirring up tension behind the scenes.  It has been revealed that Lively accused Baldoni of fat-shaming her when he was worried about a scene where he would have to pick her up. In addition to that, Lively and Baldoni encountered multiple creative differences during filming. Many feel that even though she was the producer of the movie, she crossed many lines. Including inviting her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to set and allowing him to direct scenes for the movie!

After watching the film, it is apparent that the movie did a wonderful job addressing the task at hand, which was advocating for survivors of domestic abuse. What a pity it is that Lively’s unprofessionalism had to overshadow the poignant message of this film and all of the work that went into creating it. Has Lively gone too far this time?