Blake Lively and her It Ends with Us director and costar Justin Baldoni were seen in an argument while filming the romantic drama in New Jersey last year.
Lively, 36, and Baldoni, 40, appeared to be at odds in a clip filmed May 17, 2023 from the inside of a Hoboken, New Jersey restaurant looking out, TMZ reported.
Lively and Baldoni appeared to be at odds amid their discussion, according to the outlet.
In the clip, Lively had been moving her hands and veered away from Baldoni, who was seen waving his hands. It ended with Lively saying ‘OK’ to the actor-filmmaker.
Baldoni presided over an ‘extremely difficult’ environment for cast and crew, Page Six reported, quoting multiple sources, noting that Lively was personally ‘uncomfortable’ amid filming.
Blake Lively, 36, and her It Ends with Us director and costar Justin Baldoni, 40, had been seen in an argument while filming the romantic drama in New Jersey last year. Lively pictured at the August 8 premiere of the movie in London
A source told the outlet, ‘None of the cast enjoyed working with Justin – they certainly didn’t talk to him at the premiere.’
Baldoni had been directing the scene but not acting in it, sources told TMZ, noting that an on-set source said that he and Lively ‘were not upset with each other’ and ‘were in between takes, and simply talking.’
A separate source not involved with the film told TMZ that Lively ‘rarely looked thrilled’ on multiple occasions while in the area while making the motion picture, which deals with serious subject matter such as domestic violence.
Adding to the speculation about tension between the director and star of the film was Baldoni foregoing taking full cast pictures during the movie’s New York City premiere at AMC Lincoln Square on August 6, only posing alongside his spouse Emily Baldoni, 40, relatives and producers at the debut.
Insiders told Page Six that Lively and Baldoni watched the motion picture in ‘two separate theaters’ at the venue.
Separate insiders told the outlet that Baldoni ‘would never intentionally make his cast feel unsupported.’
The hard feelings between Baldoni and Lively could impact future projects in the franchise, as he might not direct a sequel based off Colleen Hoover’s 2022 book It Starts With Us, the follow-up to the current film’s source novel, 2016’s It Ends With Us.
Baldoni, whose production organization Wayfarer Studios possess the rights to the book, appeared to distance himself from directing a sequel in a red carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight at the premiere.
Lively and Baldoni, who also directed the movie, were pictured in the film, which had a strong opening weekend at the box office
Baldoni was pictured during the movie’s New York City premiere at AMC Lincoln Square on August 6, posing alongside his spouse Emily Baldoni, 40
‘I think that there are better people for that one – I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct, that’s what I think,’ Baldoni said.
Sources told DailyMail.com Friday that Baldoni behaved in a ‘chauvinistic’ and ‘borderline abusive’ manner during filming of the motion picture, and had been ‘dismissive’ of suggestions made by Lively ‘during scenes depicting abuse.’
The source added that Baldoni ‘failed to consider Blake’s character’s perspective, instead focusing solely on what he believed was the abusive male viewpoint’ and that ‘his approach was very chauvinistic, creating a tense atmosphere on set.
‘Justin almost became the character in the sense that some women on set felt he was borderline abusive to them and that he was unprofessional and unapologetic.’
According to a logline for the film, Lily (Lively) ‘overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life, as ‘a chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship.’
The movie, which also stars Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, finished second at the domestic box office over the weekend with $50 million, and made $80 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk