What's Up With Internet Suddenly Hating Blake Lively-Ryan Reynolds? It Ends With Us Drama Explained

It Ends With Us Cast Feud: It Ends With Us has been making headlines all over the globe not because of the film but for the apparent feud among the cast members. In what makes for a perfect subject matter for a crisis management expert, the lead cast of the film Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni seem to be at loggerheads. Reports have surfaced of the duo not getting along well right from the production of the movie to its promotion. However, not all is doomed for the controversy-ridden film. The ‘all publicity is good publicity’ has translated well for It Ends With Us. In the midst of one of the most public drama and PR nightmares, the film has raked a humongous $73,784,697 at the USA box office alone. But what the global audience wants to know is - why is Blake Lively receiving hate on the internet? 

Why is the Internet hating on Blake Lively?

Gossip Girl fame, mom of four and the cutesy wife of Ryan Reynolds has maintained a somewhat flawless image in the public, up until now. This Ends With Us seems to be the literal end of what was known of the actress in the media. The press tour and pre-release event of the movie, which is based on domestic violence in its centre, has released a can of worms for Blake. Social media users have accused her of being evasive and not interested in the subject matter of the film. The actress who is known to advocate for women's rights and empowerment, seems eerily quiet in addressing the seriousness of the crime faced by women in their own homes.

To add to this, the actress' old interview clips where she is being hostile and unpleasant with reporters have been resurfacing online. In one of the most viral ones, she congratulated an interviewer on being pregnant (when she is clearly not) as a response to her congratulating the actress first. In another interview, Blake Lively expressed her appreciation for Woody Allen, who was facing sexual harassment charges at the time. Such interviews and clips have led to the actress being called a ‘mean girl’. 

How did the It Ends With Us controversy begin? 

It all began during the New York and Europe premiere of the film earlier this month. At the press meet and photo call, both Blake and Justin avoided posing with each other. Initially, netizens suspected that the actors do not want to send out the idea of romanticising one's abuser which is why they seemingly maintained their distance from each other. In the film, their characters are shown to be in a domestic abusive setup. However, this wishful thinking of fans was quickly diminished when all cast members of the movie unfollowed Justin Baldoni, who doubles as lead actor and director, on social media. This gave rise to speculations of the cast feuding with Justin and gave rise to proactive statements from the sources on what transpired on the movie set.
 

What has Ryan Reynolds got to do with It Ends With Us drama? 

Essentially, nothing. The Deadpool and Wolverine star plays, as he always does, the supportive husband. The actor was not dragged into the drama and remained a photo-worthy moment at the film's screenings until a statement was made by Blake. In an interview with E! News, the Gossip Girl fame quipped that an ‘iconic’ scene from the movie was written by her husband. “The iconic rooftop scene in this movie, my husband wrote it. Nobody knows that,” she said. This claim received backlash from the screenwriter of the movie, Christy Hall, who told People magazine that she was unaware of any ‘rewriting’ and was under the assumption that the cast was simply improvising on set. It is important to note here, that Blake is also credited as the executive producer of the movie that is adapted from the popular eponymous novel.

However, the hate received by Blake Lively has spilt over to Ryan as well. After Lively's statements, social media users are claiming that her husband's PR company is actively trying to support Blake's narrative. Some have even alleged the actor has been using stories about his late father to demand sympathy. 

Director Justin Baldoni's sour response to the film's sequel 

All while Blake Lively was posing with her girlfriends and husband on red carpets, Justin Baldoni was bringing the audience's attention to the severity of the subject matter of another film. A statement of his unravelled another fiasco. As the film is a novel adaptation, questions arose about its sequel - It Starts With Us. When asked if he would return as a director for part 2 of the movie, Justin simply told Entertainment Tonight, “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct. That’s what I think.” This further highlighted creative differences and sour interpersonal relations between the actor and director.  

'Blake Lively is selling everything but the film', say netizens

Blake's marketing strategy for It Ends With Us also became a point of contention for social media users. The actress was accused of using the film promotion platforms to do everything but that. She has been vocally talking about her haircare and soda brand. In one of the most viral videos on TikTok, the actress could be heard saying, "Grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it!” This raised eyebrows with Blake facing allegations of diluting the gravity of domestic violence by making a trip to the movies a night out activity with friends.

While promoting the movie, Blake Lively has spoken about everything from her co-star's zodiac signs, her loving husband, girls' night out to re-wearing 'iconic outfits'  but has missed out on It Ends With Us. Social media users argued that either she does not 'fully comprehend' the severity of domestic violence, or chooses to be ignorant about it as a marketing strategy. Nevertheless, it does not seem to work well in the actress' favour.