Director and star Justin Baldoni tells ET he has one bit of advice for worried fans: 'Just go see the movie.'
Fans of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel, It Ends With Us, have had a lot to say about the highly anticipated film adaptation starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni as Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid.
Production officially kicked off in May 2023, and not long after, photos from the set surfaced online showing the cast's costumes and Lively's new red hair. However, not many fans were impressed with Lively's costumes.
Chatting with ET's Denny Directo ahead of the film's Aug. 9 premiere, Baldoni isn't worried about the critiques. Instead, the Jane the Virgin alum has one bit of advice for worried fans: "Just go see the movie."
"I understand when you love something so much, you know, social media is amazing in [the] way it gives fans a voice," he says. "And if it were not for the fans, we would not be making this movie. So let them talk. And I don't worry about that too much."
Baldoni reasons that the photos only show "one moment from one part of Lily's life," and don't provide full context of what the film will eventually look like.
"We're not always thinking about why her clothes look that way in that area. And also once you see the movie, it all makes sense," he says assuringly.
Hoover also provides some assurance for fans, responding to criticism about the decision to age the characters up.
"I started writing this book over 10 years ago when I was in my early 30s [and] when new adults, the genre and the younger ages, were really popular with publishers at that time. But I think it hits harder and closer to home with them aged up," she tells ET, adding that she's "really glad" with the change.
Gushing about Lively's casting, Hoover says she will "never picture anyone else" as Lily after seeing the actress in the role. "She is absolutely perfect for the role, when he told me that she was thinking about taking it I refused to get excited because I was like, 'Oh, what if it doesn't happen?' because I was so excited that [it] was a possibility. And, man, she knocked it out of the park," she admits.
Speaking directly to the fans, Hoover adds, "I know there's a little bit of criticism about that, but I was personally so relieved. I can't stress enough that if you love the book, I believe you're going to love the film."
The film, directed by Baldoni, also stars Hasan Minhaj and Jenny Slate. Like the book, it follows 23-year-old Lily (Lively), a florist who's torn between the 30-year-old abusive surgeon, Ryle, (Baldoni) and her childhood love, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar).
The 2016 book is loosely based on Hoover's own childhood and centers on themes of domestic abuse. "I just want everyone to know how appreciative I am to my mother, who got us out of a scary situation when I was a little girl and brought us here to this house which doesn't look like much, but this house was full of love and joy," Hoover said in an Instagram video shared in January 2023. "Thank you, Mom, for making that very difficult decision. This house holds nothing but wonderful memories for me."
"We are now discussing a movie that's made from a book that was loosely inspired by my mother," Hoover continued. "It's bittersweet. So many people have had to go through that. But to know that my mom's decision has helped so many people get out of that... I love you, Mom."
Pulling double duty as director and actor can serve as a challenge, but Baldoni tells ET it came "naturally" to him.
"When you love something so much and when you're touched and moved by something as deeply as I was by this book, it just comes naturally," he shares. "And I think what comes from the heart hits the heart and that's what kept me going throughout this whole process, knowing that we're working on something special that has the potential to impact millions of lives."
"So, yeah, it was fun, it was interesting, it was healing, it was all of the things," he adds. "It was complex but it was beautiful, it was life."
It Ends With Us will hit theaters on Aug. 9.
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