Blake Lively is enjoying a lot of popularity recently, starting with her brief, masked cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, the upcoming premiere of It Ends with Us this weekend, and now, a new Vogue photoshoot for the September issue, yet she maintains that surreal vibe that she never tires and is always glamorous. However, as she joined forces with Hugh Jackman for a Baz Luhrmann shoot, fans couldn’t help but notice some photos were heavily edited.
It’s not difficult to make Lively look like a huge movie star — because she is one. The reigning Met Gala queen is gorgeous — someone had to say it — but she’s also kind, funny, the ultimate crown straightener, and has an amazing style. Lively got her big break with her role as Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, the morally ambiguous fashionista and has cemented in the years since that when it comes to fashion, even her Serena is no match for her.
After joining Jackman in a brief Deadpool & Wolverine cameo as the masked Lady Deadpool, Lively had a glamorous photoshoot with the Logan star, all thanks to Baz Luhrmann’s expert touch. However, while the idea behind it is stunning and tailor-made for both Lively and Jackman, the execution is, well, shaky at best.
The photo shoot has Blake Lively star as “The Cat,” a fashionable jewel thief in South Europe, and Hugh Jackman as the mysterious investigator “L’Ombre.” A Hitchcock-inspired photoshoot tells their star-crossed love story, as their relationship can’t happen because of The Cat’s sparkling criminal endeavors.
Lively and Jackman are a dream together in their elegant attires. She even got to hold Elizabeth Taylor’s $3.8 million ruby and diamond Cartier necklace for an extra oomph of glamour. “And I had Elizabeth Taylor’s necklace!” the A Simple Favor alum gushed to Vogue. “Elizabeth Taylor’s necklace in my hand. I have to show you. So there were these people there that had these rubber covers on their fingers, and I had a foam mat below me in case the necklace fell….”
Some photos are charming and elegant, but one caught everyone’s attention for its obvious photoshoot fail. In one photo, Hugh Jackman and Blake Lively’s characters speed through the curves of Cote d’Azur on a red Vespa, smiling wide, with Lively’s polka dot dress flowing in the wind. However, the two looked like they were obviously photoshopped together and weren’t even in the same room.
Fans reacted to the weird photo
“Now who did the editing because..” wrote one fan on X, with a more clever one blatantly replying, “Kate Middleton.” This is a reference to the Princess of Wales’ eyebrow-raising photoshop scandal earlier this year when the U.K. and frankly the rest of the world was getting antsy over her prolonged MIA status. The British Royal Family released a photo of the Princess and her children that was obviously and poorly edited. She soon came forward and took responsibility for the “mishap” after the photo went viral.
Blake Lively has been raving about working with Luhrmann, calling it a “lifelong dream come true.” And I agree — most of the photos really highlight all her best features and her chemistry with Jackman is truly remarkable. However, I can’t help but wonder: Who approved that photo, and why was it so important to just wing it instead of waiting for Jackman to be in the room with Lively?