A-lister Blake Lively has been at the centre of a social media storm ever since the promotion of her new film, It Ends With Us, began.
The movie hit screens on August 9 and the entertainment realm has since been rife with rumours of a feud and resurfaced interviews of Lively which don't show the actress in a favourable light. Her co-star Brandon Skelnar has now addressed the issue with a lengthy statement in which he slammed the "vilifying" nature of the social media backlash.
Speculation of tensions between Lively, 36 and her co-star and film director Justin Baldoni, 40, has been rampant, with the actress also coming under fire for being "out of touch" regarding the film's serious topic.
It Ends With Us, based on the Colleen Hoover novel, addresses domestic abuse, which Baldoni has talked extensively about during interviews and press promotions for the film.
However, Lively has been accused of ignoring the subject matter and selling the film in the wrong way as she advised people to "grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it!"
As the backlash and rumours began, old clips of Lively resurfaced, including one in which she is seemingly offended when a reporter congratulates her on her "little bump" not long after the actress announced her pregnancy.
In response, she shot back "congratulations of your little bump," before chatting with her co-star despite the interview taking place.
It Ends With Us star Blake Lively has come under intense scrutiny on social media
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The highly-circulated clip has caused many to label Lively "mean" and many social media users have turned against her.
Following an interview for the current film, Lively was also slammed for giving a sarcastic response when an interviewer asked how she would respond to victims of domestic abuse confiding in her.
Lively's It Ends With Us co-star Brandon Sklenar has now addressed the scandal as he penned a lengthy statement which he shared to his Instagram page.
He began: "I wanted to take a minute and address all this stuff swirling online. Colleen and all the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves.
"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 Ends With Us star Brandon Skelnar issued a statement in Blake Lively's defence
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"It is, in fact, the opposite of the point. What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were when making this film. It's been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online."
The statement continued: "Someone very close to me has been struggling with a relationship that has mirrored Lilly’s closely. I feel a responsibility to bring this to life and help spread that message further.
"Prior to my involvement in this film, she had not heard of the book. It was only then that she read it. She credits Colleen's book and subsequently this film with saving her life.
"Trust me when I tell you, there isn't a single person involved in the making of this film that was not aware of the responsibility we had in making this.
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It Ends With Us star Blake Lively has been accused of being "out of touch" and "mean"
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"A responsibility to all the women who have experienced generational trauma – domestic abuse – or struggle with looking in the mirror and loving who they see. This movie is a harsh reality check for the men who need to get their s*** together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions."
The film is being considered a resounding success, with it reportedly grossing $187million worldwide since it hit the big screen.
However, the publicity surrounding it has been mired by rumours, reported feuds and speculation.
Lively hasn't addressed the claims made but following the backlash did begin to share help links and statistics about domestic abuse.
