“Never Again”: What’s All This Blake Lively Controversy About?

There is much more talk about the behind the scenes of filming and promotion than about the film itself. In fact, “Never Again” (“It ends with us” in English) has been, since the beginning of its promotional tour, at the center of much controversy and speculation. Adapted from the novel by bestselling author Colleen Hoover, the film has been the subject of much discussion in recent weeks; and not necessarily for the “right reasons”.

The one who suffers the most is the actress Blake Lively, who plays the main character Lily Bloom. She is thus facing numerous criticisms on a whole range of topics, sometimes dating back several years. Some Internet users, such as the content creator @dairing.tia (aka Manon Delcourt) are even talking about the fall of the American star. But what is going on?

A promotional tour that does not raise awareness against domestic violence (the main topic of the film)

As our colleagues at the Independent media have pointed out, it is above all the promotion done by Blake Lively that poses a problem. Let us remember that the film deals with a serious subject: that of domestic violence. However, the marketing strategy chosen for the promotional tour takes up the codes of the traditional light romantic comedy : feminine as can be, with flowers in abundance, infinite pink. Many Internet users even describe it as “insensitive” to the cause. For example, at the end of an interview, invite viewers to do so “plant flowers and go see the movie.” An excerpt that therefore corroborates the words of his detractors.

The other element that offends Internet users is the commercial aspect that it adds: if it is completely normal that she promotes the film to attract spectators to the theaters, Blake Lively also takes the opportunity to promote her brand of hair care products. An indelicate combo that exceeds the average.

And her public speaking about domestic violence certainly doesn’t help the situation: when she doesn’t avoid the subject, we see her expressing herself with a detached or even light tone on the issuewithout ever mentioning emergency numbers to contact, organizations to contact, without ever making empathetic comments towards the victims to make them feel less guilty or make them feel listened to. The few times he directly mentions the topic, it happens with a certain superficiality, some Internet users judge.

Following these criticisms, Ryan Reynolds’ partner then decided to rectify the situation and speak out on social media. On August 13, he posted an awareness message on his story, sharing a link to the hotline of the National Domestic Violence Helpline :

Internet users put Blake Lively on trial

And as if that were not enough, this controversy is joined by a series of past cases that have little to do with the film, but more with Blake Lively’s Alleged Personality. In fact, a Norwegian journalist recently published an interview in which she spoke with the actress, entitled: “The Blake Lively Interview That Made Me Want to Quit.” While watching the video, several people considered the star’s attitude unpleasant, reprehensible and disrespectful.

Others, however, defended the celebrity, considering the journalist’s congratulations for her “baby bump” inappropriate; and that Blake Lively was surely fed up, like all actresses, of being reduced to issues regarding her private life, her style of clothing, rather than being associated with her work. We’ll let you judge:

The latter was joined by other interview excerpts, further tarnishing the actress’s already damaged image.

And Giustino Baldoni in this case?

With all this controversy surrounding the actress, one wonders why her partner Justin Baldoni is less subject to public attacks. If he receives less criticism, it is simply because he is almost absent from red carpets that present this sort of inappropriate glamorization of a film that deals with a subject that is anything but glamorous.

Furthermore, her TV interviews and lectures also contrast with those of Blake Lively. She does not hesitate address the issue of domestic violence head on, demonstrating empathycompassion, and without all this “commercial” aspect sometimes brought by his partner.

In an interview given to Show tonightThe journalist congratulated the actor on the film, telling him: “It’s your night, sir!” » To which the latter immediately replied:

“No, it’s not my night. It’s a night for all the women for whom we made this film (…) What comes to mind is not so much the work that has been done, but more the why. If a real-life Lily Bloom can sit in this theater and maybe make a different choice than the one that has been made for her, maybe she will see herself on this screen and choose something different for herself. That’s why I made this film.”

Show tonight

So this controversy about the actress dissuaded you from going to see the film?