Blake Lively’s brother-in-law defended her on social media amid the backlash she’s facing for how she promoted her recent movie, “It Ends With Us.”
Bart Johnson, who starred as Coach Bolton in “High School Musical” and who is married to Blake Lively’s sister, Robyn, posted a birthday tribute to Lively on Monday on Instagram. Johnson replied to a negative comment, which seemingly has since been deleted, that said it was “disappointing” that Lively promoted “happiness” for a movie about domestic violence. Johnson replied, saying that “the truth has not come out yet.”
“I’m really sorry you feel that way. I’m sure you have a huge heart and want the best. I can promise you the truth has not come out yet,” Johnson reportedly wrote. “Blake worked harder on this film than anything I’ve seen her do my entire life. Because it meant so much to her.”
He continued: “The message is in the book. And in the movie. Not in short clips / interviews. She is the reason the message / this movie/ is getting out. Were mistakes made? Yes. I make mistakes in life. But they aren’t under a microscope. Anyway, I respect your views. I got nothing but love for you.”
Lively has faced backlash while promoting the movie adaptation of the Colleen Hoover book, “It Ends With Us,” which is about a woman in an abusive relationship. When a reporter asked Lively how fans should approach the movie star if they want to talk to her about domestic violence, Lively sarcastically responded, “Like, asking for my address, or my phone number, or, like, location share?”
She also used the movie’s promotion to promote her seltzer company and new hair care line. While Lively was being criticized for her behavior, a reporter uploaded a nearly decade-old interview and said Lively’s behavior during the interview was so bad, the reporter considered quitting her job.
At the beginning of the old interview, the reporter congratulates Lively on her baby bump and Lively sarcastically responds, “Congrats on your little bump,” but the reporter wasn’t pregnant and later revealed she can’t have kids, making the comment extra painful.
Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, also received backlash after it was revealed that Reynolds rewrote a scene for the movie without director Justin Baldoni’s knowledge. The rewriting of the scene was possibly done during the writer’s strike, meaning Reynolds might have scabbed.