A source close to the show shares behind-the-scenes details of what helped fuel the on-set drama between Blake Lively and her co-star and director Justin Baldoni while filming ‘It Ends With Us.’
Rumors of problems with the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling book have been rife since the film’s New York premiere on Aug. 6, when Baldoni was not photographed with his co-stars.
But now a source has exclusively told DailyMail.com what they saw of Lively on set during filming, claiming that “everyone was a little scared of Blake”. Meanwhile, Baldoni was ridiculed as a “conscious, performative feminist”.
Lively “wasn’t mean, she was just very rude,” the source said.
“There were no fights or external conflicts,” but the 36-year-old actress was “so extraordinarily stubborn” and “had very strong feelings about things” that it caused a lot of stress and tension on set.
Rumors of drama began when Justin Baldoni, who directed, produced and starred in the film alongside Lively, was not photographed with his co-stars at the New York premiere on August 6.
There was tension on the set whenever Lively was present, the source claims, because she had no qualms about having workers “attend to her.”
There was a “palpable sense that everyone was a little scared of Blake,” the source said.
“I got the impression that Justin was very, very stressed and fatigued by this constant inability to control the project that he was doing… so much so that when you asked him questions, he would say, ‘Well, ask Blake’… because when Blake got there he had a lot of very strong thoughts and feelings.”
On the first day back from shooting, after production had been halted by a nine-month writers’ strike, the workers on the set were desperate: dipping into their retirement funds, losing their homes, etc.
The source felt it was “inappropriate” for Lively to bring her children to set that day so they could set up a booth to raise money for “sick children and horses” amid the crew’s own struggles.
‘There’s nothing wrong with your kids being part of your workplace, or your kids being interested in activism… but it’s hard not to feel like it’s insulting and performative.’
According to an inside source, Lively, 36, wasn’t mean on set… but she was “effortlessly rude.”
“Both she and Justin are remarkably similar in that they are simply very special little snowflakes with a surprising amount of privilege and a surprisingly small amount of self-awareness,” an insider said.
“She is clearly an advocate for the blonde, beautiful people of the world,” the insider says.
The Daily Mail reached out to Lively’s representatives, but they declined to comment for this article.
Lively drew further criticism from her fans after promoting her brands Betty Booze and Betty Buzz, along with her new hair care brand Blake Brown, at the same time as her ‘It Ends With Us’ promotions.
Some fans were horrified that the ‘Gossip Girl’ actress, who is married to ‘Deadpool’ star Ryan Reynolds, chose to promote her own brands alongside a film that deals with such a serious topic as domestic abuse.
Many have since returned newly purchased hair care products to Target stores in light of the scandal.
“This is a trauma and this was an opportunity to provide resources to a very underrepresented class that has no voice and instead she is selling shampoo,” the insider said.
On the other side of the rumor mill… the source claims Baldoni, 40, was just as difficult to deal with on set.
“Justin is very similar to her (Lively) in that he needs to be the smartest person in the room,” the source revealed.
He reportedly had a stye on his eyelid for most of the shoot, forcing camera crews to re-lock filming to prevent it.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the bulk of the visual effects budget went into editing,” the source said.
Justin Baldoni was spotted on Saturday sharing a lingering kiss with his wife Emily amid the fallout from behind-the-scenes tensions during the production of It Ends with Us.
A source close to Baldoni has called him an “idiot” and a “performative feminist.” Baldoni is said to be a “conscious feminist” and has even written a book entitled “Undefining Masculinity.”
The source called Baldoni an “idiot” and a “performative feminist.”
They said Baldoni’s trademark is that he is an “woke feminist” and he even wrote a book titled “Undefining Masculinity.”
The Daily Mail reached out to Baldoni’s representatives for comment but they did not immediately respond.
‘Both she and Justin are extraordinarily similar in that they are very special little snowflakes with a surprising amount of privilege and a surprisingly small amount of self-awareness.’
“From what I saw, (the movie comes across as) two rich, privileged people who have NO experience with abuse cosplaying what they imagine abuse might be like for attractive people.”