Brandon Sklenar has a lot to say.
On a topic that has fascinated the Internet.
As you may have heard, It Ends With Us is a massive hit at the box office — as you also may have heard, there’s a lot of controversy surrounding this film.
Brandon Sklenar attends the “It Ends With Us” New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on August 06, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
According to pretty much every outlet that exists, the cast of this movie isn’t speaking these days to actor and director Justin Baldoni.
There’s been chatter that Baldoni was abusive on set and that he clashed with fellow lead Blake Lively, who plays a character named Lily in this movie that starts up an abusive relationship with Baldoni’s Ryle.
Lively (a producer on the project) and Baldoni reportedly disagreed on the final cut of It Ends With Us.
Baldoni also allegedly fat-shamed Lively because she had given birth not long before the film started shooting.
Brandon Sklenar attends Paramount+’s “1923” Las Vegas Premiere at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on December 3, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mindy Small/Getty Images)
“I wanted to take a minute and address all this stuff swirling online,” star Sklenar wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, August 20.
Becoming the first cast member to acknowledge this drama, Sklenar referenced the author of the book on which this film is based and added:
“Colleen [Hoover] and 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.”
Brandon Sklenar attends the ‘Mapplethorpe’ premiere during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theatre on April 22, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
The actor continued:
“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 in making this film.
“It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.”
Sklenar even said that that “someone very close” to him has been “struggling with a relationship that mirrored Lilly’s [sic] closely,” implying that he knows a woman who has been been abused in either an emotional or physical manner.
Brandon Sklenar attends the “1923” LA Premiere Screening and After Party on December 2, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Paramount+)
Sklenar emphasized that “there isn’t a single person involved in the making of this film” that wasn’t “aware of the responsibility we had in making this,” again citing the movie’s theme.
“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,” he continued.
“This movie is a harsh reality check for the men who need to get their s–t together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.”
Baldoni hired a PR specialist earlier this month amid mounting backlash and criticism.
Justin Baldoni attends the “It Ends With Us” New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on August 6, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
“Ultimately it’s meant to spread love and awareness,” Sklenar wrote of It Ends With Us. “It is not meant to once again, make the women the ‘bad guy,’ let’s move beyond that together.”
He concluded as follows:
“All I ask is that before you spread hate on the internet, ask yourself who its helping. Ask yourself if your opinions are based in any fact. Or if you simply want to be part of something.
“Let’s be part of something better together. A part of a new story being written for women and all people everywhere.”
Brandon Sklenar Breaks Silence on It Ends With Us Drama, Releases Lengthy Statement was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.