Actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni has hired a crisis PR firm to represent him following reports of major “creative differences” and conflict between him and his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively.
Baldoni, 40, is turning to respected PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan for help, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Nathan is best known for defending Johnny Depp during his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
The actor, who also directed the hit romantic film, spoke in an interview with Lively on Tuesday about the “friction” on set between him and Lively. ELLE VK.
Rumors of a conflict between Baldoni and Lively surfaced on TikTok before the release of It Ends With Us, after observant fans noticed Baldoni missing from press events promoting the film.
Actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni has hired a public relations crisis manager to represent him following reports of major “creative differences” and conflict between him and his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively.
Fans also speculated that something was amiss with the casting, as Baldoni and Lively did not appear in a photo together at their film’s premiere.
Justin Baldoni has spoken out about “friction” on set while promoting his new film It Ends With Us, amid rumors of a feud with co-star Blake Lively.
Baldoni, 40, described how tension during production can lead to “beautiful art” while promoting the new film in an interview with ELLE VK.
Baldoni will star opposite Lively, who was recently criticized by fans for an interview with her co-stars, and she will also direct the project.
The Jane The Virgin actor spoke candidly about the challenges of the dual role as he described how tension can benefit a film.
“It’s very challenging to act and direct, especially with a project like this,” he explained. “There was a lot of pressure to play a role as complex as Ryle and of course as a filmmaker you’re always navigating between personalities.
Justin Baldoni spoke about ‘friction’ on set while promoting his new film It Ends With Us amid rumors of a feud with co-star Blake Lively; pictured last week
‘There’s all these things that happen every day on set, there’s always friction when you’re making a film like this. And ultimately it’s that friction that I think creates the beautiful art.
“Everything in life needs friction to grow. And look, we created something so beautiful and so magical, and it was hard, and it was worth it at the same time. And I’ve grown so much as a filmmaker, an actor, and a person through this experience.”
Baldoni spoke positively of Lively, calling her a “creative powerhouse” and comparing her acting talent to that of the Ferrari sports car.
“It’s like the difference between driving a Toyota Camry or a Ferrari. You’re like acting with someone who is an actor’s Ferrari,” Baldoni said.
‘You move a little bit and then they react, and it was really incredible that it helped me shape the performance.
“She touched so many aspects of this production, and everything she touched she made better. She’s so responsive and she’s so reactive.”
The interview comes amid rumors that Baldoni is embroiled in a feud with Lively.
According to People, the split also includes the film’s lead actors and Colleen Hoover, the author of the book on which the film is based.
People reported Monday that the core cast and Hoover ‘has nothing to do with’ Baldoni.
Baldoni, 40, described how tension during production can lead to “beautiful art” while promoting the new film in an interview with ELLE UK
“Not everything is as it seems” regarding Baldoni, who also reportedly had a falling out with the film’s lead actor, Blake, during production of the movie, a source told People on Monday.
“There’s a lot more to this story,” a source told the outlet. “The lead actors and Colleen Hoover want nothing to do with him.”
While the director had “creative differences” with some of the people he worked with on the film, reports of tension during the making of the movie were “exaggerated,” a source close to Baldoni told People on Monday.
The source added that Lively “wants to direct the next film, step him aside and secure the rights to Colleen.”
Speculation about tension between the film’s director and star grew even more when Baldoni decided not to take photos of the entire cast at the film’s New York City premiere at AMC Lincoln Square on August 6, People reported.
Baldoni spoke positively about Lively, calling her a “creative powerhouse” and comparing her acting talent to that of the elite sports car Ferrari
Baldoni was photographed alone posing alongside his wife Emily Baldoni, 40, family members and producers at the film’s premiere.
Baldoni led an “extremely difficult” environment for cast and crew, Page Six reported, based on multiple sources, that Lively personally felt “uncomfortable” during the filming.
A source told the outlet: ‘None of the actors enjoyed working with Justin – they certainly didn’t speak to him at the premiere.’
Insiders told Page Six that Lively and Baldoni saw the film in “two separate theaters” of the cinema.
Several insiders told the newspaper that Baldoni “would never intentionally make his cast feel unsupported.”
Baldoni and Lively’s feud could impact future projects in the franchise, as he may not direct a sequel based on Colleen Hoover’s 2022 book It Starts With Us, the sequel to the current film’s source novel, 2016’s It Ends With Us.
The film, based on the 2016 book by Colleen Hoover, was released last week
Baldoni, whose production company Wayfarer Studios owns the rights to the book, appeared to distance himself from directing a sequel in a red carpet interview. Entertainment tonight at the premiere.
“I think there are better people for this movie. I think Blake Lively is ready to direct, I think,” Baldoni said.
Sources told DailyMail.com on Friday that Baldoni behaved in a “chauvinistic” and “transgressive” manner while filming the movie, and that he rejected suggestions from Lively “during scenes involving abuse.”
The source added that Baldoni “did not consider Blake’s character’s perspective and instead focused exclusively on what he saw as the abusive male point of view” and that “his approach was very chauvinistic, which created a tense atmosphere on set.”
“Justin almost became a character in the sense that some of the women on set felt that he was almost insulting and that he was unprofessional and unapologetic.”
People reported Monday that the core cast and Hoover “will have nothing to do with” Baldoni
According to a logline for the film, “Lily (Lively) overcomes a traumatic childhood to start a new life, while ‘a chance meeting with a neurosurgeon creates a connection, but Lily also begins to see sides of him that remind her of her relationship with her parents.’
The film, which also stars Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, finished in second place at the U.S. box office last weekend with $50 million and grossed $80 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
