Sony defends Blake Lively and snubs Justin Baldoni amid ‘It Ends with Us’ drama
Amid the It Ends with Us drama, the movie’s distributor, Sony Pictures, has spoken out, offering support for Blake Lively in a statement that noticeably ignores Justin Baldoni’s role in the film.
It Ends With Us has turned into quite a mess as the movie has been plagued with cast drama and controversies. The film was controversial from the onset, as it’s on Colleen Hoover’s book of the same name, which has been accused of romanticizing abusive relationships and spreading misinformation about abuse. Although the film shakily manages to hold onto its theme of breaking the cycle of abuse, its quality and message have been sidelined by conversations about the cast. Upon release, many became aware of some sort of feud behind the scenes, as Baldoni, who directed and starred in the film, did all his press separately from the rest of the cast and was unfollowed on social media by Hoover and his co-stars.
Meanwhile, Lively has faced scrutiny for using the movie to promote her new hair care line and partaking in marketing that makes light of the movie’s serious themes. Her conduct in a few interviews led to critics resurfacing her past controversies, including her plantation wedding and a shockingly rude interview from 2016. However, Sony recently spoke out to defend Lively and attribute much of the movie’s creation and success to her.
Sony speaks out in support of Blake Lively
Sony appeared to indirectly address the It Ends with Us controversy through a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. The president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group Josh Greenstein and Sony Chair-CEO Tony Vinciquerra spoke highly of Lively’s role in the production. In fact, Greenstein credits her with bringing the movie heightened attention. The article explained how It Ends With Us surged in popularity when Lively surprised guests at Hoover’s Book Bonanza Q&A with a screening of the movie. Interestingly, it was Lively’s specific cut of the movie that was screened and earned the approval of Sony.
Greenstein stated of the screening, “Colleen Hoover’s Book Bonanza and her fans sparked the fire that was the beginning of the cultural movement.” Meanwhile, Vinciquerra doubled down on the studio’s praise of Lively, claiming that she has been committed to spreading awareness for domestic abuse. He also commended Hoover and every other woman who made the movie happen. Vinciquerra told THR:
Blake, Colleen and so many women put so much effort into this remarkable movie, working selflessly from the start to ensure that such an important subject matter was handled with care. Audiences love the movie. Blake’s passion and commitment to advancing the conversation around domestic violence is commendable. We love working with Blake, and we want to do 12 more movies with her.
Sony paints Lively in quite a different light than the media and remains adamant that she has not lost sight of the movie’s message or handled the difficult themes poorly. It is true that Lively has occasionally spoken out about the movie’s themes, including sharing domestic abuse resources on her Instagram Story and discussing how survivors shouldn’t be defined by their experiences. However, there was at least one incident where she practically admitted she had no interest in speaking to any domestic abuse survivors who might be compelled to reach out after watching the movie.
The most interesting part of Sony’s statement is that it completely ignores Baldoni. Based on the statement, one would think it was solely Lively’s movie. Like Barbie, It Ends with Us is a movie for women that should emphasize its predominantly female creative team. However, it seems Baldoni at least warrants a mention, considering he was the one who actually made the movie happen by optioning the film and producing it through his Wayfarer Studios company. It’s strange that Sony executives wouldn’t even briefly mention his name as someone who contributed to It Ends With Us.
Although Baldoni has done work on the movie, it can’t be denied that it was largely Lively and Hoover’s popularity that contributed to It Ends With Us’ success at the box office. The fact that they are involved in the book/movie at all also means that, whether directly or indirectly, they are stirring the conversation around domestic abuse. Hence, it’s not surprising Sony has attributed the movie’s success to them and is interested in working further with Lively to garner more box office success.
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