Who knew that “Cherry” by Lana Del Ray would be the key to cracking open the drama surrounding It Ends With Us? After rumors that co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni didn’t get along on set, Lively dropped a hint about a creative conflict during an August 10 interview with Hits Radio UK. When the show host mentioned how excited she was to hear Lana Del Ray’s song “Cherry” on the soundtrack, Lively, 36, excitedly explained that she had to battle for the song’s inclusion in the film. “They begged me to take that song out of the movie,” she said.
When pressed for an explanation, the Gossip Girl actress explained that her colleagues thought the song was too dark and moody for the scene in which it was used. “I’m not supposed to be talking about this,” she said with an eye roll.
Drama between Lively and director and co-star Justin Baldoni has been fodder for a lot of gossip in the lead-up to the film’s release. It Ends With Us, which is an adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, follows florist Lily Bloom (Lively) as she falls in love with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), who becomes abusive over the course of their relationship. Fans have noted that Lively and Baldoni, 40, have not posed for photos together at premiere events, nor have they done any press together, with Lively preferring to do interviews alone or alongside co-star Jenny Slate.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively are seen on the set of ‘It Ends with Us’ on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Rumors allege that the two actors don’t get along.
Getty Images/Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/
Lively was a producer on the film, and apparently had a good deal of input on the soundtrack, which also included her close friend Taylor Swift’s song “My Tears Ricochet.” According to the actress, the moment where “Cherry” played is in a period where “things are still good with Ryle,” so the rest of the creative team pushed for a song that was less “charged and heavy.” Lively insisted that the moment that Atlas (her character’s childhood love) enters, “Things ARE charged and heavy.” The interviewers agreed.
While the moment was brief, Lively’s eye-roll and “I’m not supposed to talk about this” comment seem to hint that creative differences were the main source of tension with the rest of the It Ends With Us team. Rumors have swirled after an insider claimed to The Daily Mail that Baldoni was “borderline abusive” on set. Baldoni has not addressed the rumors. The Jane The Virgin star has demurred when asked if he would consider directing an adaptation of the second novel, It Starts With Us. “I think Blake Lively is ready to direct,” he told a reporter in a video from the red carpet.
