Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni clashed on the set of “It Ends With Us” and multiple sources told Page Six that he made her feel “uncomfortable.”
The couple star in the highly anticipated big screen version of Colleen Hoover’s hit novel about a toxic and abusive love affair, which hits theaters Friday, but rumors swirled this week as the pair appeared to avoid each other at the film’s premiere in Manhattan on Monday.
An industry source claimed that Baldoni, who also directed the film, created an “extremely difficult” atmosphere behind the scenes for the entire cast.
And another industry insider said there were several moments on set when Lively, who serves as a producer on the project, felt “uncomfortable” about her postpartum body.
Lively, 36, joined “It Ends With Us” shortly after the birth of her fourth child with Ryan Reynolds, son Olin.
When photos leaked early in production, fans criticized Lively’s “frumpy” costumes for her character Lily Bloom – which prompted Lively to dig into her own wardrobe for some of the looks, borrowing clothes from her best friend Gigi Hadid and her husband Ryan Reynolds and wearing her own jewelry.
Sources who have worked with Baldoni were quick to stress that the father of two never intentionally wanted to make any of his actors feel like they weren’t supporting him.
Towards the end of filming, however, there was apparently no longer any sympathy between the actors.
“It’s not just Blake,” the industry source added. “None of the cast members enjoyed working with Justin… They certainly didn’t speak to him at the premiere.”
Lively and Baldoni did not pose together at the premiere in New York City on Monday night. According to plans from Sony, the studio behind “It Ends With Us,” Baldoni hosted a screening in Chicago on Thursday night while Lively attended a red carpet for the film in London. She also attended a premiere in Denmark on Friday night without her director.
Baldoni, 40, attended the premiere in New York with his wife Emily, who plays a small role as a doctor in the film. Lively, meanwhile, posed on the carpet with co-star Brandon Sklenar as well as her husband Reynolds and friend Hugh Jackman.
According to sources, Baldoni sat in his theater at AMC Lincoln Square with family, friends and executives from Sony and Baldoni’s production company, while Lively watched the film in another theater with her own guests, including her sister Robyn Lively and her nieces and nephews.
Lively and Baldoni also did not appear together to promote the film.
Instead, Lively gave interviews with co-star Jenny Slate, appeared on the “Today” show on Monday and filmed an interview with Sklenar for CBS’s “This Morning.”
Things got so difficult on set that sources told us Baldoni may not return for a possible sequel, even though he owns the rights to Hoover’s 2022 follow-up, It Starts With Us.
Lively signed on for the new film after Baldoni, who rose to fame through the CW series “Jane the Virgin,” bought the rights to the book through his production company Wayfarer Studios.
The company is named after Baldoni’s religion.
“‘Wayfarer’ represents the journey of the soul,” Baldon recently told RogerEbert.com. “It’s named after the wanderer in a book called ‘The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys,’ which comes from the Baha’i Faith, which is also my faith.”
“It is the journey of the soul where we try to understand life. Whether you believe in God or are spiritually inclined – whatever you are – it is this journey where we try to understand the world around us and ourselves.”
Baldoni bought the rights to “It Ends With Us” in 2019.
He told Variety how his book agent recommended the novel to him in 2019, when it had already sold a million copies. “It was sexy, romantic and mysterious,” he said. “I was crying real tears by the end.”
“I was very anxious about this book,” author Hoover told Variety, revealing that she had turned down several offers before Baldoni’s offer. “But then I got a really warm email from Justin and I felt like he understood the book and that he understood how important it was that people needed to see it on screen.”
Although a sequel to the film has not yet been greenlit, Baldoni, who plays Ryle Kincaid, has already stated that he is not sure if he is up to the task of making another film.
At the premiere in New York on Monday, Baldoni told Entertainment Tonight: “I think there are better people for this movie… I think Blake Lively is ready to direct, that’s my opinion.”
Lively said she put her heart and soul into the film, while Baldoni told People, “She’s a creative force, she’s an executive producer on the film and she’s so brilliant.”
“And I think her portrayal will help a lot of women feel seen and showcase this unique experience in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen in any other film.”
This weekend, Lively will be involved in a fight with her husband Reynolds, whose new film “Deadpool & Wolverine” is currently at number one in the box office charts.
According to Variety, “It Ends With Us” is expected to gross a solid $25 million to $35 million in its opening weekend.
Baldoni made the comments in a headline-grabbing TED talk in 2017, following the downfall of now-convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein and the explosion of the #MeToo movement.
He asked the men in the audience: “Are you brave enough to be vulnerable? Are you strong enough to be sensitive?”
Baldoni also hosts a podcast called “Man Enough,” where he encourages men to embrace their feelings and not shy away from therapy. He has also written two books: “Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity” and the children’s guide “Boys Will Be Human.”
Wayfarer Studios asked No More, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault, to serve as an advisor in the development and production of It Ends With Us.
Variety also reported that Baldoni and Lively also worked with an intimacy coordinator and a stunt coordinator while filming their domestic violence scenes.
“It was important to me that the abuse stemmed from Ryle’s insecurity – from a deep sense of not being enough,” Baldoni said. “Showing that allows the film to do without an arch-villain. He’s not this mustache-twirling villain; he’s a guy with deep pain and trauma who makes terrible decisions that are not acceptable or excusable in any situation.”
We have reached out to representatives for Lively and Baldoni for comment.
