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Amid intersecting controversies (on-set squabbles, tone-deaf promotion, the depiction of domestic violence), It Ends With Us star Brandon Sklenar just spoke out about all the rumors and headlines, becoming the first person involved in the project to address the drama directly.
In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, he seemed to defend co-star Blake Lively, who has received heavy criticism for her approach to promoting the film.
“Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about…What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film,” he wrote, neither confirming nor denying rumors of a behind-the-scenes feud.
In the post, he tagged “Colleen and the women of this cast,” meaning that he left out the actor who plays the younger version of his character, Alex Neustaedter, and co-star/director Justin Baldoni.
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“Trust me when I tell you, there isn’t a single person involved in the making of this film that was not aware of the responsibility we had in making this…This movie is a harsh reality check for the men who need to get their shit together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions,” Sklenar continued, perhaps addressing concerns over the movie, and the book on which it is based, “romanticizing” abuse, or how the trailers for the movie seemed to downplay this aspect of the plot.
In addition to asking fans not to direct negativity toward his female collaborators, Sklenar shared that It Ends With Us had inspired a friend of his to leave an abusive situation. “Someone very close to me has been struggling with a relationship that has mirrored Lily’s closely…Prior to my involvement in this film, she had not heard of the book. It was only then that she read it. She credits Colleens book and subsequently this film with saving her life,” he wrote.
