Blake Lively Speaks About Creative Differences On It Ends With Us

Spoilers for It Ends With Us ahead. The buzz around It Ends With Us is not ending anytime soon. In a new interview with Radio Hits UK, Blake Lively spoke about a disagreement amidst rumors of creative differences with director and co-star Justin Baldoni. “I’m not supposed to be talking about this,” she said.

The actor, who is also an executive producer, revealed that she fought to keep Lana Del Rey’s “Cherry” in the film. “They begged me to take that song out of the movie,” she said, without specifying the “they” in question.

Del Rey’s 2015 song plays during a pivotal scene, where the romance between Lily (Lively) and Ryle (Baldoni) is in full bloom, but a major family secret is revealed. “They felt like it was too charged and heavy, and things are still good with Ryle at that point, so you don’t want to feel that charge,” Lively explained.

However, Lively saw things differently, arguing that when Lily’s first love, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), re-enters the picture for the first time since high school, the film immediately becomes more charged and intense as she navigates her complex feelings for both him and Ryle. As a result, she felt that Del Rey’s ode to love and infatuation was the perfect soundtrack.

“There’s conflict, there’s pain, there’s turmoil, there’s tension, because you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, my soulmate, the one that got away in my life, this person who’s haunting me in everything I do and everywhere I go is here now, and we still had that connection,’” she said. “You can be deeply in love with this person, but this person comes in and your insides are gonna be a mess. So, that’s why.”

What’s With This Feud?

Lively’s comments come amidst reports that she and Baldoni had creative differences after filming. Fans speculated that the two weren’t on good terms after noticing Baldoni did most of his press solo, while Lively promoted the film with her cast-mates and It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover. Notably, none of them posed with Baldoni at the New York premiere, or follow him on Instagram.

Baldoni said Lively should direct the possible sequel, It Starts With Us, and some fans interpreted his comments as part of the alleged feud. He also acknowledged that there was “friction” on set in a new interview with Elle UK. “There’s always friction that happens when you make a movie like this," he said. "Then at the end of the day, it’s that friction, I believe, that creates the beautiful art.”

Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Lively reportedly commissioned her own cut of the film from editor Shane Reid. But since he’s not credited, it’s not known whether her version was used, with one insider saying that everyone agreed on the final cut.

On Aug. 13, People reported that Baldoni’s clash with Lively and the cast was due to more than just creative disagreements, without getting into specifics. “All is not what it seems,” a set source told the outlet. “There is much more to this story. The principal cast and Colleen Hoover will have nothing to do with him.”