Why is the internet tearing Blake Lively apart right now?-Brooke Ivey Johnson-Entertainment – Metro

Blake Lively has come under fire online amid rumours of behind the scenes drama (Picture: Getty Images)

The It Ends With Us press tour has ignited a flurry of speculation – with many fans pointing fingers at Blake Lively as the cause of it all.

The highly-anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 bestselling book has been sparking plenty of drama, with many criticising the film for the way it handles themes of domestic violence.

Lively, 36, stars as Lily Bloom opposite director Justin Baldoni, 40, as antagonist neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid. The story follows the pair’s romance as it blossoms and soon sours, becoming abusive.

Despite the obvious opportunity to highlight the reality of domestic abuse against women, Lively failed to do so throughout the press tour, earning plenty of criticism online.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, with buzz about a behind the scenes rift within the movie’s cast first beginning when social media users noticed that Lively, along with other key members of the cast, appeared to be distancing themselves from Baldoni. 

Now, many are blaming Lively for the drama.

Some have speculated that Reynolds and Lively took control of the movie away from Baldoni (Picture: Gotham/WireImage)

Baldoni has spoken highly of Lively in interviews (Picture: Getty Images)

The lack of public interaction between Lively and Baldoni, particularly during the film’s New York premiere on August 6, fueled rumors of a rift. The pair were not photographed together at all, despite playing the film’s leads.

Anonymous sources also told The Hollywood Reporter there was a ‘fracture’ within the cast of the film – rumours exacerbated by Lively notably failing to mention Baldoni in interviews.

Why are fans blaming Blake Lively?

One of the most prominent online theories about the conflict suggests that Lively, who also served as a producer on the film, and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, may have taken over creative control after Baldoni struggled to balance his dual roles as director and lead actor. 

Some have even suggested that this happened against Baldoni’s wishes.

Lively’s revelation that Reynolds wrote a pivotal scene in the movie – which caught even the film’s screenwriter, Christy Hall, by surprise – has led many to believe that Lively and Reynolds had more influence over the film’s direction than initially disclosed. 

As fan’s explored this theory, many began to point out that throughout the press tour Lively notably rarely talked about the domestic violence at the heart of the movie’s story.

In contrast, Baldoni has spoken about the importance of the film’s themes and the lived reality of domestic abuse victims several times throughout the press tour for the film.

User @bella___thoughts wrote: ‘This it ends with us press tour on behalf of Blake Lively is fundamentally disgusting and ridiculous. Thank you to Baldoni for explaining the film with the respect it deserves. From one survivor to a cast of a film about surviving – f*** you.’

@Ceilidhann agreed, writing: ‘Whatever is going on with the It Ends With Us drama, it is extremely weird for Blake Lively to turn the promotional tour of a domestic violence drama into a platform for her to strengthen her fashion plate status & her and Ryan Reynolds’ power couple clout.’

Baldoni and Lively are rumoured to be feuding (Picture: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Baldoni and Lively have seemingly avoided interacting since the film wrapped (Picture: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Instead, she spoke extensively about the costumes in the film and her husband’s involvement.

She also focused on promoting her own projects – including her new haircare line, which launched close to the film’s premiere – leading some fans to accuse her of sidelining Baldoni and shifting the film’s promotional focus away from the issues in the movie. 

A 2016 clip has also resurfaced and gone viral online, with the interviewer claiming that an interview with Lively and her Cafe Society co-star Parker Posey made her ‘want to quit her job.’

In the clip, Lively seems to push the narrative that only women are asked about costumes – which many have perceived as ironic given how often she’s brought up the clothes in It Ends With Us on her most recent press tour.

Adding to the speculation, it was claimed by The Hollywood Reporter that Lively had commissioned her own cut of It Ends With Us from Deadpool & Wolverine editor Shane Reid. 

While multiple cuts of a film are not unusual in post-production, the fact that Lively sought her own version has been interpreted by some as a sign of creative differences between her and Baldoni.

Justin Baldoni has hired a crisis PR manager amid the rumours (Picture: Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

Amid this speculation photos have recently resurfaced of Baldoni and Lively having a passionate discussion while filming in New Jersey back in January, with the pair appearing to possibly be embroiled in an argument.

For Baldoni’s part, he’s praised Lively’s contributions to the film, calling her a ‘dynamic creative’ and even suggesting she is ready to direct in the future. 

Jenny Slate, another cast member, added to the intrigue when she avoided directly discussing Baldoni’s role as director in an interview, instead commenting on the difficulty of balancing two major roles in a film. 

Notably, it’s been reported that Baldoni has hired PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan, who represented Johnny Depp during the Amber Heard trial, leading some to wonder if there may be even more to the story.

Despite these rumors, it’s important to note that there is no concrete evidence of any major fallout between Lively and Baldoni – only continued speculation.

Despite the messiness of the press surrounding the film, the movie has been a box office hit, earning £4.5million in its first week in the UK and Ireland alone.

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