It Ends With Us recently hit theaters, but it’s the behind-the-scenes dynamics between stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni that have fans buzzing.
Before the movie’s release on Friday, August 9, TikTok sleuths began speculating about a possible rift between the two, potentially linked to the film’s final cut. Rumors of tension first emerged when fans noticed that Lively, 36, doesn’t follow Baldoni, 40, on Instagram — nor does anyone else in the cast. Lively, who is also a producer on the project, sparked further intrigue by promoting the film alongside co-stars Jenny Slate, Brandon Sklenar, Isabela Ferrer, and Alex Neustaedter, as well as author Colleen Hoover, while noticeably excluding Baldoni.
Interestingly, Baldoni does follow Lively on social media and appeared in several posts on Hoover’s Instagram during the movie’s filming. However, Hoover, 44, is also not following Baldoni, suggesting there might be a bigger fallout.
Fans also noticed that Baldoni was absent from joint press events for the movie, and there were no large cast photos from the New York City premiere, further fueling speculation.
Adding to the intrigue, Lively recently revealed that her husband, Ryan Reynolds, contributed to writing a pivotal rooftop scene in the film. Lively mentioned that she and Reynolds, 47, often collaborate on each other’s projects. Reynolds was even brought in to help promote the movie by conducting an interview with Sklenar.
Reports from The Hollywood Reporter suggest that Lively requested a cut of the movie from editor Shane Reid before the film was finalized. Reid, who previously worked with Lively on Taylor Swift’s “I Bet You Think About Me” music video, as well as on Reynolds’ Deadpool & Wolverine, had been brought in to work on the film. However, it’s unclear if any of Lively’s requested edits made it into the final version, which is credited to editors Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan.
A source told Us Weekly that it’s not uncommon for multiple versions of a film to exist during post-production. “It’s very typical to have many cuts of the film during the post-production process,” the insider shared. “This is the nature of post-production and part of the editing process.”
Despite the speculation, the source emphasized that “all parties agreed on the final cut of the film and agreed that it’s the best version.”
However, some fans have speculated that this supposed off-screen tension might be a clever PR strategy to highlight the serious subject matter of the movie. It Ends With Us tackles the heavy issue of domestic violence, with Lively portraying the role of the survivor and Baldoni playing the role of the abuser. The idea of Lively promoting the film as an actress and producer, while Baldoni takes on the darker role, could be a way to emphasize the gravity of the story both on and off the screen. This potential PR move could be designed to remind audiences of the serious themes the film addresses, ensuring that the conversation around the movie resonates deeply with viewers.
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