New conspiracy theory over Blake Lively’s feud with Anna Kendrick sends fans wild – as they insist Pitch Perfect star is Team Baldoni
The long-running – and much-publicised – legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has already left Hollywood divided, with many fans struggling to decide which side they align with.
And in the midst of this, some fans have claimed that it’s not just one of Blake’s co-stars who’s been irked by her on-set behaviour, with rumours swirling that all is not well between the actress and Anna Kendrick either.
The pair are set to star in the Prime Video sequel Another Simple Favour, and sources claim they have clashed behind the scenes over their billing in the film and the shadow that Blake’s legal woes have cast over its release.
These rumours have been heightened thanks to a conspiracy theory started by fans on social media, after discovering a clip of Anna speaking on-stage at the British Academy Film Awards last week, which they’re convinced proves she’s Team Baldoni.
In the video, Anna takes to the stage to present the award for Best Director, and in her opening, she praises the amount of ‘respect’ actors and other production staff have for the ‘exhilarating and exhausting’ job.
The video was originally posted by BAFTA’s TikTok page, but was reshared on X, with the user noting that Anna’s choice of words were anything but a coincidence given the rumours about her working relationship with Blake.
A wild new conspiracy theory surrounding Anna Kendrick’s frosty relationship with co-star Blake Levely has emerged, after she gave a pointed speech at the BAFTA Film Awards
While the pair seemed to be the best of pals while promoting A Simple Favour in 2018 (pictured), Blake’s legal woes have cast a shadow over promotion of its sequel
A large part of Baldioni’s complaint against Lively is his claim that she tried to take over It Ends With Us by rewriting the script, overruling the wardrobe department, bringing in her own composer who had worked with husband Ryan Reynolds and making her own cut of the film.
Fans have also pointed to a scene where Baldoni and Lively’s characters are slow dancing, which was at the centre of her complaint about sexual harassment, in which she apparently contradicted his directions.
Speaking at the awards, Anna said: ‘We all have huge respect for directors. It’s one of the most exhilierating and exhausting jobs in the world.
‘It’s juggling a million decisions, answering endless questions, and somehow still making sure that the story shines through.’
Going on to praise the nominees, Anna then noted: ‘These six perfect directors have made six perfect films.’
The clip from the BAFTAs was reshared by podcaster Zack Martin, who wrote: ‘There’s no way Anna Kendrick’s speech about directors in Hollywood was coincidental. She’s confirming those Blake Lively feud rumors and I am living for this shade.’
Blake has sued Justin for sexual harassment after the pair worked together on the set of It Ends With Us, however, he has accused her of using her celebrity power to hijack his film
In the video, Anna took to the stage to present the award for Best Director, and in her opening, she praised the amount of ‘respect’ actors have for the job
Many other users agreed, flooding the responses with claims that Anna’s words that Hollywood should ‘respect’ directors were a blatant swipe at Blake.
Blake has sued Justin for sexual harassment after the pair worked together on the set of It Ends With Us, however, he has hit back with a $400m lawsuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, that accused her of using her celebrity power to hijack his film and attempt to torpedo his career.
Baldoni has denied the allegations from Lively, while Lively, Reynolds and Sloane have denied the accusations made by Baldoni.
The video was originally posted by BAFTA’s TikTok page, but was reshared on X, with the user noting that Anna’s choice of words were anything but a coincidence
Many other users agreed, flooding the responses with claims that Anna’s words that Hollywood should ‘respect’ directors were a blatant swipe at Blake
Sources have claimed that Anna (pictured in A Simple Favour) is reluctant to join forces with Blake to promote the sequel, and is working with bosses to distance herself from her co-star
Responses to the video included: ‘Someone check if Blake just felt a chill down her spine; Anna is Grade A quality;
‘I love how Anna Kendrick always keeps it real , but this is next level;’
‘Honestly, this is the tea we didn’t know we needed;’
‘Anna really got on that stage, and said I’m gonna direct this shade right where it needs to go. ICONIC
‘Hollywood drama is my favourite genre and Anna just gave us a masterpiece;’
‘That pause before ”respect’ was louder than the mic; The shade is so strong, I need SPF 100
”Respect”… in the most disrespectful way possible; Anna Kendrick just put movie Twitter on its ear;’
‘She’s serving elegance with a side of petty, and I’m eating it up
‘I love an awards speech that doubles as a public callout.’
Anna’s aptly timed comments no doubt bring more eyes to the cloud that has formed over the upcoming sequel Another Simple Favour, with Blake set to swerve the film’s promotional trail due to her legal woes.
The actresses reunited for the long-awaited sequel to Paul Feig’s 2018 hit A Simple Favor, set for release on May 1.
After Blake reportedly did little to address how her saga has tarnished the early reception to the new film, insiders claim Anna has been in talks with bosses about distancing herself from her costar.
‘These movies are basically all Anna and Blake have in common,’ a source told DailyMail.com. ‘They have a working relationship, by no means a close friendship or bond.
‘Last-minute talks are underway with execs as Anna would prefer to distance herself from Blake going forward.
Kendrick received an outpouring of sympathy when she shared the promotional poster for their upcoming film last week – a stark contrast to the scathing comments targeted at Lively
‘It was originally planned that the two would do much of the promotion together. That’s what the studio requested, and Anna and Blake agreed to it.
‘But Anna could go it alone over fears she will get caught up in the drama.’
Despite the fallout bleeding into the early promotion, Lively has reportedly done little to address the matter with the cast and crew.
‘There is a gigantic pink elephant in the room that no one is acknowledging,’ a source told DailyMail.com. ‘The backlash to initial promo has been brutal. There are people protesting and refusing to see it
The first teaser trailer for the film is set for release on Wednesday, after the first poster was revealed earlier this month, along with the announcement that it will premiere on March 7 at the SXSW Film and TV Festival in Austin, Texas.
A second insider claimed Lively will most definitely attend the event which may be her only promo for the movie.
‘Beyond this, Anna and the others do not anticipate any deep level of involvement,’ they said.
‘In fact, Anna is prepared to handle the promotion responsibilities alone. She would prefer this because she does not want to have to dodge questions about Blake’s lawsuit or have every interview turn into a Lively v Baldoni Q&A session.
‘Although Blake is obligated to promote the film, she retains the autonomy to determine the extent of her involvement beyond SXSW. They are now leaving this up to her to decide.’
The source added that her recent request for a one-month extension to file her amended complaint on February 10 was ‘advantageous’ as it could provide the ‘perfect scapegoat’ to avoid promotional work.
The positioning of Anna and Blake’s names on the poster also reportedly sparked a tussle between Kendrick, 39, and Lively over who should get top billing, with the former refusing to ‘bow to Blake’s demands’.
‘In the original film Anna got top billing over Blake,’ a second insider said. ‘She thought it was a no-brainer that the same would happen this time around. But Blake didn’t see it that way.
‘She fought, through her reps to get top billing over Anna, who refused to bow to Blake’s demands.
‘Finally, after weeks of negotiations a deal was struck between the actresses. They agreed on staggered billing, which meant Anna’s name would read first and Blake’s would be above hers but on the right-hand side. In the business that’s considered equal billing.’
Neither party was ‘thrilled’ with the outcome but reportedly accepted it because ‘they knew they needed to come to an agreement’.
DailyMail.com has also reported that Lively has been given a private coach to ‘school her’ ahead of SXSW, and that executives are working with Feig, 62, to ensure everything centres on the movie and not her legal issues.
Kendrick received an outpouring of sympathy when she shared the promotional poster for their upcoming film last week – a stark contrast to the scathing comments targeted at Lively.
‘Did Ryan rewrite a scene?’ asked one user in reference to Baldoni’s claim that Lively rewrote a scene in It Ends with Us.
Another said: ‘Nope nope nope. Sorry Anna, will watch the next one. Not supporting this movie or anything with Blake Lively in it.’
A third echoed: ‘Love you Anna, but I can’t stand Blake more. Will not be watching this movie.’
Feig also posted the image, but unlike the original, he tagged everyone but Lively.
However, he did jump to her defence as he responded to one user: ‘It’s my cut. There is no other cut. Blake has been nothing but supportive and a dream to work with.
‘She is the best and an amazing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan. Just wanted to clear that up.’
With Another Simple Favour set to premiere at SXSW on March 7, sources are saying this could be Blake’s one and only appearance to promote the film
Lively, Reynolds and their publicity teams have rattled off a series of ‘bold statements’ to news outlets in an effort to ‘rehabilitate her tarnished image’ amid claims the A-list couple used their considerable clout to gain a measure of creative control on the set of It Ends With Us, Baldoni’s lawyers told the court in the filing.
Baldoni’s attorneys noted that Reynolds even spoke about the scandal in a ‘planned skit’ during the highly-viewed SNL50 special earlier this month (in which he and Lively were panned on social media as tone-deaf).
Justin’s newest court filing on Tuesday saw him accuse Blake of hypocrisy – regarding control of what she wants the public to see amid their ongoing litigation.
Attorneys for Baldoni – who directed and starred in It Ends with Us – said in Tuesday’s court filing that they were ‘surprised’ by Lively asking the court to shield more ‘material and relevant evidence’ from the public about the case, ‘given how actively [she and her team] have publicized and litigated [her] claims in the media.’
