Justin Baldoni Was 'Mesmerized' by Blake Lively MakingIt Ends With Us:'I Just Had to Get Out of the Way' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Justin Baldoni on Aug. 6; Blake Lively in ‘It Ends With Us’.Photo:Cindy Ord/Getty; Nicole Rivelli

Cindy Ord/Getty; Nicole Rivelli

Blake LivelywowedJustin Baldonion the set ofIt Ends With Us.

Baldoni, the director and star of book-to-screen adaptation(in theaters Aug. 9), tells PEOPLE that when Lively’s “name came up” for the lead role of Lily, “she just checked all the boxes.”

Not only did Lively, 36, fit that brief perfectly, says Baldoni, she excelled at being “involved in every area of production” from the moment she signed on. “The only box she didn’t check was that she didn’t have red hair, which is a very easy fix in the film business!” he jokes.

“She’s a creative force, she’s an executive producer on the film, and she is so brilliant,” he continues. “And I believe that her performance is going to help so many women feel seen and showcase this unique experience in a way that I don’t believe I’ve seen in another film.”

Jenny Slate and Blake Lively in ‘It Ends With Us’.Jojo Whilden

Jojo Whilden

Casting Lily was a crucial early step, he says. “I watched all of [Lively’s] movies before I asked her to play Lily, and I knew she could do it in a really special, subversive way.”

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Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively in ‘It Ends With Us’.Nicole Rivelli

Nicole Rivelli

It was during Lively’s chemistry reads with actors for otherIt Ends With Usroles that Baldoni knew they had nailed her casting. “I had never heard her say any of the dialogue out loud, we’d only had conversations,” he recalls.

Baldoni knew “in that moment that the movie was going to work. And I just had to get out of the way enough to make sure that it did.”

It Ends With Usis in theaters Aug. 9.

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source: people.com