Brandon Sklenar implicitly addresses the feud rumors swirling online about It Ends With Us. There’s a supposed rift between the film’s co-stars and co-producers, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who also directed the film, regarding the project’s final cut. If rumors are to be believed, Lively and Baldoni had different visions for the film; the former wanted to convey female choices and individuality, while the latter wished to convey a message to domestic violence victims.
The majority of the netizens sided with the Jane the Virgin actor in this feud, which led to slamming and abusing of not only Lively but all women involved in the project, including the author of the source material, Colleen Hoover.
Sklenar, who portrayed Lily Bloom’s (Lively) childhood friend and ex-boyfriend Atlas Corrigan, clapped back at people for “vilifying” the women of the cast. On Wednesday, August 21, the actor shared a lengthy note on Instagram explaining his point of view amid the controversy.
“Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves,” he wrote. “Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film…seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about.”
He added that the rumors about women diminishing the film’s sensitive message are completely opposite to the reality and claimed that the film was being made because they believed in the core message.
However, he didn’t explicitly mention the speculated feud between the film leads Lively and Baldoni. “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 said, referring to the alleged internal rift.
This vague mention indicates that the rift due to creative differences between the actors might be real, which would also explain the separate red-carpet appearances and interviews. As for the promotions, Baldoni singularly spoke about the theme of domestic violence and the film’s message. Meanwhile, Lively has been indulging in light-hearted and comedic promotional stints, which most of the audience found insensitive to the film.
Despite the controversies, the film was a huge commercial hit and crossed the $100 million mark at the domestic box office in just 11 days. It Ends With Us is now in theaters.
