Today’s cancel culture is stronger than ever and some believe one step wrong can end your career. However, so far, most of the celebrities and high-profile individuals who were “canceled” had done terrible things or the surrounding allegations were very serious.
Blake Lively is not getting canceled, worry not, but her It Ends with Us co-star Brandon Sklenar didn’t like the backlash she and author Colleen Hoover were getting. Having a knight in white, shiny armor sounds ideal in theory, as we need more men supporting and advocating for women, but, in this instance, it seems misguided, as Sklenar doesn’t understand why people are complaining.
On Aug. 20, Sklenar hopped on social media to address the backlash the two women are getting. He is the first actor to acknowledge the issues behind the scenes and Sklenar took once more a stand to support Lively.
“Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves,” Sklenar wrote in his statement. “Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about.”
“It is, in fact, the opposite of the point,” Sklenar continued. “What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film. It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.”
The rumors about the drama behind the scenes started before the film’s premiere, with people alleging a rift between Lively and the film’s director, Justin Baldoni, who also stars as Ryle. There were many claims of creative differences, Lively getting too involved, her husband Ryan Reynolds re-writing scenes without having anything to do with the movie, and more. However, the deep backlash Lively is getting is not related to that, which is exactly the point Sklenar is missing from his statement. People love behind-the-scenes drama, and you might remember Don’t Worry Darling, where director and star Olivia Wilde clashed with lead actress Florence Pugh on several occasions. No one would “vilify” Lively for some creative differences.
Instead, Lively and Hoover received backlash for the film’s marketing, which is colorful, floral, and girly-coded. The opposite of the film’s real theme, which is — shockingly — domestic violence. Throughout the film’s promo, Lively stunned on the red carpet in gorgeous floral outfits and even wore Britney Spears’ iconic Versace dress — which she called her childhood dream.
During the press tour, Lively downplayed the film’s serious theme and made a mockery of serious questions, including the one about her being there for fans if they came up to her to confide in her. She promoted her new hair line, her husband’s recent movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, where she also has a brief cameo as Lady Deadpool, and did everything to avoid speaking about the real conversation, offering an ideal, yet unrealistic, resolution for every woman dealing with DV, and portrayed the picture that what happened to them barely matters because they’re “so much more” than that.
It also took over a week for the official channels, Lively’s Instagram included, to include a warning that the film deals with domestic violence, and to offer resources for people who are struggling.
As for Hoover, well, she has been controversial for quite some time. It Ends with Us was a successful novel, and didn’t do a poor job portraying what some women experience, but the marketing behind it was preposterous. Instead of being marketed as fiction, the book sold as romance, and Hoover tried to profit off the IP with a nail polish line and a coloring book. She canceled the coloring book plans after the intense backlash.
Blake Lively is a beloved celebrity but people’s disappointment in her doesn’t stem from her alleged issues on set with Justin Baldoni but the way she was completely unprepared to tackle such an important subject. Because of this, Sklenar’s efforts to help out didn’t help the situation and missed the point completely, on point with It Ends with Us‘ overall PR.