The controversies around It Ends With Us and Blake Lively continue, but now her brother-in-law and High School Musical alum Bart Johnson randomly joined the conversation. If you’re as confused as we are, keep reading.
Blake Lively received criticism for the way she handled the press tour for her latest film, It Ends With Us. At the same time, she received a lot of constructive feedback she could use for future projects. The movie, which is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel of the same name, deals with complex subjects such as domestic abuse, yet the film’s marketing hardly touched on that topic, leaving many moviegoers unaware of its premise until taking their seat at the theater. Lively, meanwhile, used the opportunity to promote herself and her brands, her alcoholic beverage Betty Booze, and her haircare line Blake Brown.
Lively hasn’t addressed the criticism yet and has opted to keep quiet amid the controversies, but she has just received random support from her brother-in-law.
Bart Johnson acknowledges the hardships of It Ends With Us
Bart Johnson, who is known for his role as coach Jack Bolton in the High School Musical films, is married to Blake’s sister, Robyn Lively. The actor shared a thoughtful tribute for his sister-in-law’s 37th birthday on Aug. 25, calling her his “best friend for 30 years.” One of the comments referenced Blake’s lack of acknowledgment of domestic violence, noting that it’s a “Shame she’s so set on promoting happiness in a domestic violence setting without any regard for any victims.”
Johnson saw the comment and replied, “Ellen I’m really sorry you feel that way. I’m sure you have a huge heart and want the best,” he started, noting that, “I can promise you the truth has not come out yet.” He didn’t further explain what he meant by the comment, but it might be a reference to the alleged on-set drama between Lively and co-star and director Justin Baldoni.
The High School Musical actor went on to praise Lively for her hard work on the film, saying, “Blake worked harder on this film than anything I’ve seen her do my entire life. Because it meant so much to her. The message is in the book. And in the movie. Not in short clips/interviews. She is the reason the message / this movie/ is getting out.” Johnson continued, “Were mistakes made? Yes. I make mistakes in life. But they aren’t under a microscope.” The initial user thanked Johnson for his response, and here Johnson doubled down on his initial comment, adding, “The truth hasn’t come out yet. It’s going to.”
To this, another fan explained the reasoning behind the criticism. Praising Baldoni for getting the message out there and for making the movie, the person explained that “it doesn’t matter what happened behind-the-scenes,” and that “there is no excuse and no ‘truth’ can come out to convince us that this movie was promoted in a proper and sensitive matter.”
Lively hasn’t addressed the backlash, but another It Ends With Us actor did. Atlas actor Brandon Sklenar hopped online to slam people for “vilifying” Lively and author Colleen Hoover and his comments seemed to be in the same vein as Johnson’s. He praised his co-star and the author for the work they did on the film, yet missed the impetus behind the publish backlash, too, which was the way they handled the film’s promotion.
Many moviegoers noted that audiences were triggered by the film’s events, as they expected to see a romantic comedy and got a film about domestic violence instead. Baldoni has constantly addressed the film’s message, but Lively’s dismissive remarks and jokes have made her look out of touch and clueless about the impact the film could have, and all the support she’s getting appears to miss that same vital feedback.