After backlash on social media and endless speculation about behind the scenes drama, both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni made moves to recenter intimate partner violence while promoting It Ends With Us. Fans have been critical that the press campaign for the movie has been tonally off. On social media, the “grab your friends, wear your florals†messaging has been seen as downplaying the issues in the film and book.
Lively posted two Instagram stories on the topic Tuesday. “Thank you to everyone who came out to show that people WANT to see films about women, and the multitudes we hold,†she wrote. She also posted a story giving national statistics on intimate partner violence. She also posted a link to a domestic violence hotline.
Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios partnered with the No More Foundation in order to provide resources for survivors of sexual assault in intimate partner violence. “We’ve partnered with No More because we want to ensure that Wayfarer Studios projects, specifically those that address domestic and sexual violence and abuse, are made with purpose and the intention to educate, support and ultimately provide resources for viewers who may see themselves via their current situation on screen,†Baldoni said in a statement obtained by Variety. This comes after it was reported that Baldoni hired a crisis PR firm amid the rumors of a on-set feud with Lively. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s the same firm that Johnny Depp employed when in litigation with Amber Heard.