Tthe film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel End with us hits theaters on Friday and as its stars celebrate the premiere, a few moments occurred online and on the red carpet that are leading internet sleuths to speculate about possible behind-the-scenes drama.
Hoover’s novel, which became a huge hit upon its release in 2016, centers on the story of two characters, Lily and Ryle, played in the film by Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. The two actors also served as co-executive producers, with Baldoni serving as the film’s director. Jenny Slate, Brandon Sklenar and Hasan Minhaj also star.
As the cast began showing up at the film’s premieres this week, fans noticed that Baldoni didn’t seem to interact with the other stars. Online, people have suggested that something is going on between Baldoni, Lively and the rest of the cast. Here’s what you should know End with us and what’s behind the alleged cast drama.
The controversy behind End with us
End with us has attracted debate since it was published. Hoover’s novel is said to be inspired by her parents’ relationship and depicts a story about intimate partner violence. Although it is a very popular book with over 300,000 reviews on Amazon, End with us was controversial because of its depiction of domestic violence. The book and film detail Lily’s emotional, physical and sexual abuse at the hands of Ryle, who decides to make a change after they discover Lily is pregnant. They end up divorcing, but decide to co-parent their son together.
Many readers had a negative reaction to this decision and were upset that the character decided to stay with him. Still, several other readers responded saying that Lily’s choice was realistic because it’s not always possible to leave an abusive relationship.
In an interview with Today In 2023, Hoover defended his choice for this to be the characters’ ending. “There were no resources for women to get out of situations like this,” Hoover said at the time, adding that her parents divorced when she was two years old. “She managed to get out of that relationship. And from then on, I just remember growing up with a mother who was so strong and independent.”
What’s going on with Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively?
Typically, at blockbuster movie premieres, the film’s stars pose together on the red carpet. That didn’t seem to be the case at the New York premiere of End with us on August 6, where Baldoni didn’t show up to take photos with his co-stars, posing only with his wife Emily Baldoni and their friends. Lively was photographed with her own group, which included her husband Ryan Reynolds, her Deadpool and Wolverine co-star Hugh Jackman, his mother-in-law Tammy Reynolds and co-star Brandon Sklenar. She was also photographed with co-stars Slate and Isabela Ferrer. Baldoni’s Instagram comments section was flooded with questions about why he didn’t pose with Lively.
Internet sleuths also noticed that the End with us cast does not follow Baldoni on Instagram. A TikToker shared a video showing that the main cast, including Hoover, doesn’t follow Baldoni, but follows them all.
Other moments caused online commentators to suggest something was up. People pointed to a red carpet interview with Slate in which she avoided mentioning Baldoni after being asked what it was like having him as a director and scene partner. She responded by talking about how difficult it is to do two jobs at once.
Baldoni’s podcast co-host Liz Plank attended the New York premiere but did not post any photos with him on Instagram and instead praised Lively online, leading to more speculation.
It all sounds like a version of Do not worry dear 2022 drama. Many people online suggested that the construction drama could be a marketing strategy, citing Baldoni’s villainous and abusive character in the film as a reason to keep him on the sidelines from promotion. But there is no evidence that it was orchestrated in this way. Others have theorized that Lively and Baldoni it fell about creative differences.
In an interview with People published on August 8, Baldoni said he was “mesmerized” the first time he heard Lively play Lily. He says he knew “at that moment that the film was going to work. And I just had to get out of the way enough to make sure it worked.”
Blake Lively’s Outfits Draw Criticism
Amidst it all is the discourse on Lively’s fashion choices, both in the film and at her press stops. TIME’s Stephanie Zacharek takes note of Lily’s questionable outfits in the film in her review, calling it a “hippie patchwork wardrobe.” Some fans called Lively’s outfits “clumsy,” though Baldoni said People in May that he “wasn’t worried about it” and costume designer Eric Daman he said viewers needed to “see the context of the clothes and how they are actually put together in the scenes”.
Lively’s recent looks for End with us press tour attracted attention for being more eclectic than usual. The star used several floral looks on tour, perhaps in honor of her End with us character, who is a florist. Fashion account @Hautelemode wrote in a caption that her appearance on this press tour was “the definition of “Hot and Cold” because one moment I’m short of breath (positively) and the next I’m short of breath (negatively) )..”
One look that caught the public’s attention was the Versace dress that Britney Spears wore in 2002, saying in an Instagram post that it was a tribute to her. “The definitive queen who made us all want to shine, write and share our stories,” the post reads. Her decision to wear the dress was met with mixed reactions from people online, as she made changes to it.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
