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“You literally can't convince me that Ryan Reynolds isn't the reason for all this Justin Baldoni/It Ends With Us drama, and I feel like Justin doesn't want anything to do with the drama, and for that reason, has chosen a step back from the PR events leading up to the movie,” pop culture TikToker Arianna Lillie said in one video. “And I'm not saying that Blake Lively has specifically been problematic, but I knew something was up the second I heard that Ryan Reynolds was coming in and rewriting scenes of a movie that Justin Baldoni is not only starring in, but also directing, and is the whole reason this project is happening.”
The TikTok user noted that Reynolds interviewed Lively's other love interest from the film and claimed he is trying to make Deadpool and It Ends with Us “the next Barbenheimer,” adding, “It seems like Justin is getting pushed out of this whole situation, which is honestly kind of sad because he was most excited about this whole thing from the start.”
In an interview with People back in April, Baldoni said there “wasn't a part of this production that [Lively] didn't touch and have influence on,” adding, "everything that she put her hands on and her mind to, she made better."
Meanwhile, in Lively's cover interview with Vogue, she paused when asked about her own interest in writing, questioning why the interviewer brought it up. Then, when asked if she would be interested in writing a script from scratch, here's what she said: “A blank page is not nearly as exciting to me as starting with a script and finding something people have overlooked. Saying no, no, no, there’s something there! To me, it’s a treasure hunt. And so when I can see the treasure, then I get to be an archaeologist. I get to excavate, I get to carve it out and find this thing and show people the value in it. That, to me, is what I love.”
What else are people saying?
While many fans are suggesting that Baldoni's isolation could be a PR strategy aimed to remind viewers that his character is the “villain” of the story, others are not convinced, given that he is also the director of the film and that feels like an odd strategy for Baldoni to agree to.
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One TikTok user also described some of Lively and Reynolds' press tour moments as “tone deaf,” considering the somber themes of the book and film—and this is not the first time It Ends With Us has faced this critique. In January 2023, Hoover and Atria Books were accused of “romanticizing” domestic violence when a coloring book based on the best-seller was announced. Atria ultimately decided not to move forward with that project.
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“When are they gonna start talking about emotional and domestic abuse in a relationship and raise awareness for that,” one user commented on a video of female cast members and Colleen Hoover, which was posted to Lively's Instagram feed. “The clothes are cute but there is a deeper meaning to this movie.” Another added, “Where is Justin on all of this?”
