Fans are urging Blake Lively to follow Julia Roberts’ lead when it comes to speaking out about domestic violence, a central storyline in her new film, It Ends With Us.
Amid backlash over how she handled her press tour for the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, social media users have banded together to suggest that the actress, 36, could benefit from addressing the sensitive subject in a more serious manner, as Roberts, 56, did while promoting her film, Sleeping with the Enemy.
In a video, uploaded by a TikTok user who goes by the username @dammitsarah79, of the Oscar winner during a 1991 interview with Bobbie Wygant, the mother of three can be seen taking the topic of domestic violence with great thoughtfulness as she is asked how she would “personally react” if she were in her character’s position.
As she ponders the answer, Roberts, who plays a woman forced to fake her own death to escape her violent husband in the psychological thriller, says it’s not up to her “to really say.”
“I can’t even imagine being in such a horrible situation,” he stressed. “It’s not within my scope of understanding.”
Fans are urging Blake Lively to follow Julia Roberts’ lead when it comes to speaking out about domestic violence, a central storyline in her new film, It Ends With Us (seen earlier this month).
After the interviewer agrees that violence is not within her realm of understanding either, she tells Roberts that she thinks she would still “fight back.”
“I doubt I could have endured that for three and a half years like (your character) did,” the journalist says.
This leads Roberts to remind the reporter and viewers that victims of domestic violence often undergo a “manipulating process that becomes stronger” on the part of their abusers.
“It’s not that simple,” she notes with sympathy in her voice. “I think it’s incredibly psychological and very destructive, so I don’t think it’s that simple.”
When asked if the movie scared her, Roberts admitted she “screamed a couple times” and “jumped a couple times too.”
Upon its box office release, Sleeping with the Enemy grossed a whopping $175 million against a production budget of $19 million.
It is also praised as one of the “first contemporary Hollywood films to put the issue of domestic violence front and center,” according to Yahoo! Entertainment.
Following the resurfacing video, TikTok users flocked to praise the Pretty Woman actress for handling the topic with such empathy and compassion.
Amid backlash over how she handled her press tour for the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, social media users have joined in to suggest that the actress, 36, could benefit from addressing the sensitive subject matter in a more serious manner, as Roberts, 56, did while promoting her film, Sleeping with the Enemy.
In a video, uploaded by a TikTok user who goes by the username @dammitsarah79, of the Oscar winner during a 1991 interview with Bobbie Wygant, the mother of three can be seen taking the topic of domestic violence with great thoughtfulness as she is asked how she would “personally react” if she were in her character’s position.
As she ponders the answer, Roberts, who plays a woman forced to fake her own death to escape her violent husband in the psychological thriller, says it’s not for her to “really say.”
“Her tone is spot on, it’s a serious movie so she’s being honest, meaning no jokes,” one commented, alluding to Lively’s jarring use of sarcasm during her press tour for It Ends With Us.
A second wrote: “This is how it’s done. Bravo Juila for leading with compassion.”
A third user, who said she had experienced domestic violence, praised Roberts for “completely” understanding survivors.
Others encouraged Blake to “take notes.”
A handful of people noted that, despite being only 24 at the time, Roberts handled each question with poise and emotional intelligence.
“She was already very wise and eloquent,” noted another.
“I cannot even imagine being in such a horrible situation,” she stressed. “It is beyond my scope of understanding” (seen in 1991)
In contrast, Lively took a completely different approach when promoting her latest film, which features scenes depicting domestic violence, generational trauma, physical abuse and rape.
Over the past month, Lively has been criticized for not being tone deaf when addressing these issues.
In her film, It Ends With Us, the actress plays a woman named Lily Bloom, who finds herself in an abusive relationship with a man named Ryle Kincaid, played by Justin Baldoni.
Earlier this month, she raised a few eyebrows when she sat down with her co-stars Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, as well as author Colleen last week to talk about the new film.
The women shocked social media users with the light-hearted nature of their conversation, in which they laughed together as they discussed everything from their dream jobs to their zodiac signs — but not a word about domestic violence.
In contrast, Lively took a completely different approach when promoting her latest film, which features scenes depicting domestic violence, generational trauma, physical abuse and rape; seen on August 6, 2024
Lively, in particular, was criticized for participating in the questionnaire in a light-hearted way given the serious nature of the film and for not speaking out on the subject.
Following the backlash, Lively took to Instagram to share information about domestic violence, as well as some resources for her followers.
“In the United States alone, 1 in 4 women ages 18 and older have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime,” their statement begins.
‘Intimate partner violence affects all genders, including more than 12 million people each year in the United States. Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence.
“The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides confidential support 24/7/365,” wrote Lively, who then linked access to the hotline.
He also encouraged those who need “immediate help” to “text START to 88788.”
It Ends With Us hit theaters last Friday, competing at the box office with Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds’ superhero film Deadpool & Wolverine after weeks of global promotion.
The film has already earned more than $100 million at the global box office after just one week in theaters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Over the past month, Lively has been criticized for being “tone deaf” when addressing these issues (seen this month in London).
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