Brandon Sklenar. Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images
Brandon Sklenar doesn’t have much to say about the drama surrounding It Ends With Us, but he hopes viewers don’t forget the film’s deeper meaning.
“It’s a tough situation,” Skelnar, 34, told The Hollywood Reporter while walking the Vanity Fair Oscars Party red carpet on Sunday, March 2. “I just hope everyone remembers what the movie is about and why we made it in the first place.”
The August 2024 film tells the story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) who experiences domestic violence in her relationship with Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni). Sklenar plays Atlas Corrigan, Lily’s childhood love who reemerges amid her marriage.
“It’s about love and it’s about supporting women in general and helping people through tough times,” Sklenar said about the film. “That movie has helped so many people, and I just want people to remember what it’s about and why we made it.”
Brandon Sklenar wants to put the It Ends With Us drama behind him. The 34-year-old actor, who played Atlas Corrigan in the film adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel, is shedding light on his decision to speak out amid fan backlash to the movie’s press rollout and reported behind-the-scenes drama. “I put that [statement] out […]
His comments come amid a highly publicized legal battle between Lively, 37, and Baldoni, 41, who also directed the film.
In December 2024, Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company, accusing him of sexual harassment and fostering a hostile work environment. Baldoni has since denied the allegations, filing two lawsuits of his own.
Baldoni has since sued The New York Times for $250 million dollars after they initially published Lively’s complaint in full. (The newspaper has since filed to dismiss the suit.) He also sued Lively along with her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and publicist, Leslie Sloane, for $400 million dollars. (Lively has denied Baldoni’s claims, and Sloane has filed a motion to be removed from the suit.)
Lively has since hired PR crisis manager Nick Shapiro, who previously worked for the CIA, as the legal battle continues.
“The litigation team for Ms. Lively retained Mr. Shapiro to advise on the legal communications strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit occurring in the Southern District of New York,” her legal team shared with Us Weekly in a statement on Friday, February 28.
Sklenar initially showed support for Lively, sharing the NYT article to his Instagram Story in December 2024. He has since addressed whether he’s “Team Justin” or “Team Blake” in the ongoing legal battle.
“I’m Team It Ends With Us,” the actor told CBS Mornings last month. “I just want people to remember why we made the movie in the first place and what it stands for, just keeping the focus on that. That movie meant so much to me.”
Lively and Baldoni are set to face off in court starting in March 2026. But Judge Lewis J. Liman is prepared to move up the trial if the legal battle continues to play out in the public eye.
