What you need to know

From the moment Justin Baldoni announced in 2019 that he would be adapting the bestselling It Ends With Us into a film, there was a lot of excitement.

There are few books that have become as big a cultural phenomenon in recent years as Colleen Hoover’s novel – it has sold 20 million copies and become an internet sensation on TikTok with more than a billion tags on the app .

When Blake Lively, who rose to fame in the 2000s as Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, was cast as the main character, fans were even more excited, calling her the perfect choice for the role of Lily Bloom, a young girl Woman who has grown up witnesses domestic violence and finds herself in the same situation again years later.

Lily, a florist in Boston, navigates a complicated love triangle between her charming but abusive boyfriend Ryle Kincaid – played by Jane the Virgin’s Justin Baldoni – and her compassionate first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar).

The film was released in early August and was a box office success, grossing more than $350 million (£280 million) worldwide.

But despite the financial success, not everything went so smoothly behind the scenes. Rumors of a feud between Baldoni and Lively began circulating before the film’s release.

Last week, Lively filed a lawsuit against her co-star. She accused him of sexual harassment and launched a smear campaign against herwhich Baldoni strongly denies. Here’s the story so far:

For a film about domestic violence, the press tour for It Ends With Us probably wasn’t what you’d expect. There were pink carpets, flowers galore and advertising for Lively’s new hair care brand and her husband’s gin company.

Instead of promoting on the red carpet, Lively emphasized fashion and flowers.

At the London premiere, the press were told to keep the questions “entertaining and light-hearted”, with one organizer telling me to “stay away from questions about domestic violence”.

One of her comments at the New York premiere — “You’re so much more than just a survivor or just a victim” — sparked backlash on social media.

Ashley Paige, domestic violence survivor criticized Ms. Lively’s language and told the BBC that her own trauma had “shaped my identity.”

Lively was also criticized for her comments in another awkward promotional tour video, in which she said, “Grab your friends, carry flowers and head out to see it.”

Ms. Paige accused Lively of promoting the film as “the sequel to Barbie.”

While the press tour was described as “tone-deaf,” people began asking questions about why Lively and Baldoni weren’t photographed together on the red carpet at the film’s New York premiere on August 6.

The couple also didn’t do any joint interviews during the press tour, and at the London premiere, which Baldoni didn’t attend, I was warned by Lively’s team “not to ask any questions about Justin.”

Internet experts also noted that performers like Lively and author Hoover unfollowed Baldoni on social media.

Neither Lively nor Baldoni commented on rumors of a feud during the press tour, and the only reference to one another was Baldoni telling Today that his co-star was a “dynamic creative.”

“She was involved in every part of this production and everything she touched made it better,” he said of the 37-year-old.

Although the film was a box office success, it received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom said it romanticized domestic violence.

There was a two-star review from Tim Robey of The Telegraphwho called it a “queasy drama” that “repackages domestic violence into a sophisticated romance.”

He suggested that the film “combines abuse and big-city courtship to deeply dubious effects.”

The film also sparked debate on TikTok, with some saying that it is not clear from the trailer that the story is about an abusive relationship, but rather that it is more of a love story.

Because of this misconception, some people said they found the film traumatic because they were unaware that it contained scenes of domestic violence.

During the film’s press tour, Baldoni hired a crisis manager, Melissa Nathan, whose previous clients included Johnny Depp and Drake.

Shortly after the press tour, Lively was heavily criticized on social media regarding her comments about the tour and old interviews.

One of the resurfaced interviews was shared by Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa, who posted a video on YouTube of her 2016 interview with Lively. It was titled “The Blake Lively Interview That Made Me Quit My Job.”

Actor Brandon Sklenar, who plays Atlas in the film, defended Lively and said this in a post on Instagram People “vilified” the women involved in the film online..

He said it was “disheartening to see how much negativity is being projected” and that someone close to him who had experienced a similar relationship to Lily credited the film with “saving her life.”

Four months after the film’s release Lively filed a legal complaint against Mr. Baldoni, in which she accused him of sexual harassment.

The lawsuit also named Wayfarer Studios, Mr. Baldoni’s production company that produced It Ends With Us, as a defendant.

The lawsuit accuses Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath of “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior.” Several other female cast and crew members also commented on her behavior, the filing says.

It is also alleged that Ms. Lively, Mr. Baldoni and others involved in the film’s development attended a meeting in January to address “the hostile work environment” on set. According to the complaint, her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, attended the meeting alongside her.

At the meeting, participants agreed on a list of demands, including that Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath “stop making descriptions of their own genitals” and demanding that at any time Ms. Lively was in scenes with Mr. Baldoni, an intimacy coordinator had to be on set and not “friends” of the producers and directors who were on set during scenes in which Ms. Lively was naked.

The list of demands also suggested that Mr. Baldoni had asked Ms. Lively’s trainer how much she weighed and claimed that Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath had discussed her “pornography addiction” with Ms. Lively.

In the filing, Ms. Lively also claims that Mr. Baldoni and his team attacked her public image after the meeting.

She accuses him of orchestrating a plan to “destroy” her reputation in the press and online, including hiring a crisis manager who led a “sophisticated, coordinated and well-funded retaliation plan” against her and a “digital army “ Used social media content to post that seemed authentic.

“To protect against the risk that Ms. Lively would ever reveal the truth about Mr. Baldoni, the Baldon Wayfarer team created, placed, amplified and amplified content designed to destroy Mr. Baldoni’s credibility,” wrote Ms. Lively’s team on file.

In the filing, Ms Lively says this resulted in “significant harm” that affected “all aspects” of her life.

Mr Baldoni’s legal team told the BBC the allegations were “categorically false” and that they had hired a crisis manager because Ms Lively had threatened to derail the film if her demands were not met.

In response to the legal complaint, Mr. Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, said Saturday: “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false allegations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and their representatives.”

Mr. Freedman accused Ms. Lively of making numerous demands and threats, including “threatening not to show up on set, threatening not to promote the film,” which would ultimately “lead to its downfall during release if her demands.” would not be fulfilled.” .

Hollywood stars like America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel have done it publicly supported Lively after she filed her complaint.

Ferrera, Tamblyn and Bledel, who starred with Lively in the 2005 film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” issued a joint statement on Instagram Sunday saying they “stand with her in solidarity.”

“During the filming of It Ends with Us, we saw her muster the courage to ask for safe employment for herself and her colleagues on set, and we are horrified to read the evidence of a deliberate and vengeful attempt , which followed to discredit her voice. ” they wrote.

Colleen Hoover, the author of “It Ends With Us,” also showed her support, describing Ms. Lively as “honest, kind, supportive and patient.”

Additional reporting by Grace Dean.