CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence.
It Ends With Us‘ director and star Justin Baldoni has shared a heartfelt message to domestic violence survivors on Instagram, following critiques that the film’s marketing and its stars trivialised the serious domestic violence subject matter.
The film, which was released on August 9, follows Blake Lively‘s character Lily Bloom as she finds herself in a DV relationship, repeating the cycle of abuse she witnessed her own mother go through. Taking to Instagram, Baldoni spoke directly to those who had suffered from domestic violence.
“Dear Survivor,” the message began.
“You embody resilience and courage, qualities that shine bright even on the darkest days. In the tapestry of your life, each thread tells a story of endurance, strength, and hope. Every step forward you take, no matter how small, is a declaration of your unyielding spirit and an inspiration to others.
“You may not always see the impact you have, but your journey encourages and motivates, lighting the path for those of us still searching for the light.”
Although he acknowledges that he will “never fully understand” the pain felt by survivors, he says that he supports them wholeheartedly.
“We are with you. You are not just surviving; you are thriving, and in your thriving, you inspire us all. May your journey forward be filled with moments of profound peace. And may you remember that as you fight for joy…you are liberating us all,” he continued, signing off with “gratitude, strength and love, Justin Baldoni”.
The message comes after the film — and its lead actors — were criticised for not speaking on the serious subject matter of the project during the press run. The film also faced backlash from survivors who claimed that the relationship between Lily and Ryle (Justin Baldoni) was depicted in a romanticised way, despite being toxic and abusive.
In response, Baldoni has acknowledged that not everyone will agree with the way the subject was handled in the film.
“I think that they are absolutely entitled to that opinion, and it makes perfect sense as to why they would feel that way,” he told the Associated Press.
“If anybody has had that real-life experience, I can imagine how hard it would be to imagine their experience being in a romance novel. To them, I would just offer that that we were very intentional in the making of this movie.”
Behind-the-scenes, rumours of a feud between Baldoni and Lively have been running rife since before It Ends With Us even hit cinemas.
The feud rumours kicked off after Baldoni was missing from a heap of promotional events. Considering he was the lead actor and director, his absence was a bit fishy. Then, fans started catching on that Baldoni and Lively did not have one joint interview together. Again, as they’re the two romantic leads, that’s straight-up weird.
Shit got real when Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram. And now, it seems like the rest of the cast is taking sides, with Jenny Slate giving a strange AF interview and Brandon Sklenar straight-up defending Lively in an IG statement.
The heat seemed to get a bit too much to handle for Baldoni, who hired big dog PR executive Melissa Nathan to help protect his image.
There’s a lot more to the tea if you have the time, so if you want a big, juicy explainer of what went down between the co-stars, you can check out our explainer HERE.
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
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