This summer, Justin Baldoni returned to acting as Ryle Kincaid in It Ends With Us, the Colleen Hoover adaptation he also directed and produced. However, no one anticipated the drama behind the scenes and the marketing would overshadow the drama’s delicate themes, with the cast taking sides. After an eventful month since the premiere, Baldoni received unexpected praise from one of his previous co-stars in a new turn of events.
Baldoni acquired the rights to adapt Hoover’s novel in 2019 through his production company Wayfarer Studios and development took longer than expected. In early 2023, new updates arrived and Blake Lively got the role of Lily Bloom. Many people openly disagreed with the choice. Yes, the Gossip Girl star had become the ‘It Girl’ beyond her Serena van der Woodsen status, becoming a beloved celebrity. Still, she had rarely proven her acting skills, and many considered her unfit for the role, and once filming started, further disagreement was directed at her colorful, vintage outfits.
This wasn’t anything compared to what followed once the film premiered. The entire cast distanced themselves from Justin Baldoni ahead of the film’s premiere on Aug. 9, with multiple rumors claiming there were creative differences between Lively and Baldoni. However, the public would’ve moved on quickly had it not been for the way Lively marketed the film.
The actress further received backlash for skimming around the domestic violence theme in all interviews, instead encouraging women to “grab” friends and wear “florals.” In the aftermath of the backlash, Lively’s team and co-stars insisted there was more to the drama behind the scenes regarding Justin Baldoni.
Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez confirmed something we already knew about Justin Baldoni
Justin Baldoni has spoken highly of Blake Lively throughout the press tour, although the actress completely ignored any question about collaborating with him as an actor or director. However, his former Jane the Virgin co-star, Gina Rodriguez, has his back.
In a new interview with People to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Jane the Virgin, Gina Rodriguez just addressed her former co-star with as much praise as she could. Baldoni is mostly known for the role of Rafael Solano, with Rodriguez playing Jane Villanueva in the renowned series. The CW series ran for five seasons, and Baldoni and Rodriguez worked close together for five years, as their characters were romantically involved on-and-off.
“Justin is a sweet, sweet soul. Man, he’s a sweetie pie. That guy is — that’s my brother forever. Forever and ever.”
Rodriguez continued that her on-screen baby daddy is “hands down the person I stay in touch with the most, for sure” from the Jane the Virgin cast. “I talk to Yael [Groblas] and Brett [Dier] a lot also,” the actress admitted, referring to the actress who played Petra and the actor who played her other love interest, Michael. “But Justin is just my brother.”
Justin Baldoni’s co-workers had nothing but praise for his work ethic
Before working on It Ends With Us, many people hailed Baldoni’s work ethic, Rodriguez included. Baldoni had previously received compliments from the crew on It Ends With Us, too. Insiders told TMZ that there’s “conflict” between Lively and Baldoni but the latter is “not the clear-cut villain.” Crew members further praised the director, noting he was “a nice guy to work with and cared a lot about the production.”
The film’s screenwriter and co-producer Christy Hall echoed the same sentiments. “I feel like he really cares,” adding that, “I feel like he loved this story from the beginning, and just regardless of what hat he’s wearing just was doing everything that he could to get it right,” she added. “I think he made Colleen a promise that he wouldn’t let her down, and he intended to keep that promise.”
Justin Baldoni won the hearts on the internet with his efforts to raise awareness of the film’s domestic violence theme, his deep understanding of the source material, and his continuous work to honor DV victims, and Rodriguez’s recent words just add to the respect the actor-director has amassed in his many years in the industry.
Published: Sep 13, 2024 02:04 pm