Blake Lively criticised for another tone-deaf comment in new It Ends with Us interview
2024 really isn’t Blake Lively’s year as the actor is now facing significant backlash for her response to a question about domestic violence during a press interview for It Ends with Us, the widely debated and divisive film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s eponymous 2016 novel. The movie, which addresses the generational cycle of domestic violence, stars Lively as Lily Bloom, a flower shop owner caught in an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by Justin Baldoni. Despite the serious themes of the film, Lively’s approach to promoting it has been widely criticised for being insensitive and out of touch, particularly due to one interview which has since gone viral for all the wrong reasons…
Instead of addressing the story’s heavy themes of domestic violence, Lively has been more concerned with showing off her floral-themed outfits—apparently under the impression that a dress matching her character’s flower shop qualifies as profound commentary. Even the film’s official TikTok page has shared some notably tone-deaf clips. In one, Lively encourages viewers to “grab your friends, wear your florals” for a movie night, as if they were preparing for a spring brunch rather than watching a film centred on abuse.
@itendswithusmovie Replying to @nathan_matoe83 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚞𝚙 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚋 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚝𝚜! 🌸 #ItEndsWithUsMovie is now playing in theaters everywhere.
♬ original sound - It Ends With Us
It’s as if Lively mistook the script for an invitation to a garden party, and honestly, it’s leaving people wondering if she even read the book.
Lively has also used the press tour to promote her own business ventures, including her drinks company Betty Buzz and her new hair care line. In addition, she recently posted a video of a “girl talk” at her apartment with other women featured in the movie, captioning it with, “I’m gonna be sad when marketing is over and I don’t have excuses to sit on my couch dressed up with you ladies.” This focus on personal promotion, rather than the film’s themes, has further fueled criticism online.
But what really set off a wave of outrage was the actor’s response during a recent interview with Jake Hamilton. When asked how she would suggest someone approach her in public to discuss the film’s heavy themes, Lively responded with a sarcastic joke: “Like, asking for my address, or my phone number, or, like, location share?” She followed this up with, “I could just location share you,” before laughing. The interviewer then jokingly asked her, “Social security number?” to which Lively replied, “I’m a Virgo, so like, are we talking logistics, are we talking emotionally?”
@calabasaswings Not a fan anymore. ALSO THE SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST JUSTIN BALDONI IS UNFAIR AND RUDE. Why does she want to take over this film so much?#blakelively #itendswithus #marketing #annoying #ryanreynolds
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Her other co-star Brandon Sklenar, who plays Atlas Corrigan in the movie and was present during the interview, did not laugh and looked uncomfortable, highlighting the awkwardness of the exchange. Lively eventually gave a more serious answer, acknowledging the pervasiveness of domestic violence, but by then, the damage had been done.
Many viewers were appalled by her initial response, calling it dismissive and out of touch. One X user wrote: “It Ends with Us is a whole disaster of a book but Blake Lively saying ‘Am I giving my address or live location?’ to a question asking about how survivors of DV may empathise and reach out is craaaazyyy.”
Another one tweeted: “Here are my thoughts on the #ItEndsWithUs drama. I think that Justin Baldoni wanted the focus to be around domestic violence awareness and Blake Lively and Colleen in contrast wanted the focus to be on Bloom’s journey. But that’s not the point of the book.”
Some also pointed out the stark contrast between Lively’s approach and how other actors have handled similarly sensitive subject matter. Jodie Comer, for instance, was praised for her respectful and compassionate approach when promoting her Broadway show Prima Facie, which also deals with heavy themes like sexual assault. “I can’t help but think of the stark contrast with Jodie Comer’s handling of Prima Facie – the respect, appreciation, and compassion she showed victims is exactly what this woman should be trying to emulate. It’s not hard to be a decent human being,” one person commented.
After facing backlash on social media and mounting speculation about behind-the-scenes drama, both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have attempted to refocus the narrative around intimate partner violence while promoting It Ends with Us.
In what seems like a bid to regain favour, Lively recently posted two Instagram stories: “Thank you to everyone who came out to show that people WANT to see films about women, and the multitudes we hold,” she wrote, followed by a story highlighting national statistics on intimate partner violence and a link to a domestic violence hotline. Whether this is a genuine effort to address the criticism or just an attempt to salvage her reputation is up for debate, it definitely feels like someone’s trying to do some damage control.
