Justin Baldoni praises It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively: She 'was involved in every aspect of the film'

Colleen Hoover's romantic drama It Ends With Us was not an easy story to adapt from page to screen. Inspired by Hoover's parents' marriage, the book tackles the sensitive subject of domestic abuse head-on. Not only was Justin Baldoni tasked with directing the film adaptation, but the author also convinced him to star as the abusive husband at the center of the story.

Reflecting on the experience, Baldoni told Entertainment Weekly via Zoom in July that he could not have done it without his costar, Blake Lively, who he said was instrumental throughout the production — especially when it came time to shoot the movie's darkest scenes.

"Blake was involved in every aspect of the film once she came onto the project, from scenes and dialogue until the end, until now. She's been involved in all of it, and she's been a powerhouse of a creative and a wonderful collaborator," Baldoni said.

The first of Hoover's books to be adapted for the big screen, It Ends With Us centers on Lily (Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood with an abusive father to begin a new life in Boston. Things seem to be on track as she follows her dreams to open a flower shop, but when she falls in love with charming neurosurgeon Ryle (Baldoni), she begins to realize his abusive behavior only continues the harmful cycle she's been trying to escape. Their toxic relationship is further complicated when Lily's childhood love, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), reappears, upending everything she thought she knew and wanted.

Keeping the focus on Lily was — and still is — Baldoni's biggest north star in adapting the story. "The pressure was tremendous, and I'm somebody that puts a lot of pressure on myself because I was not just directing it, but I was also acting, and acting alongside Blake, and wanting to make sure that I could perform for her so her performance was as good as possible," he said.

When it came time to film the scenes of abuse, Baldoni said it was "really challenging," especially as he had to act as Ryle while also directing from an outside perspective. "Blake was a wonderful partner in those situations," he said. "It was so difficult, but I think that I surround myself with people that I trust and with really talented creatives, and if there's ever a time where I'm unable to see the forest for the trees, I'll look to my partners, and I'll ask them what they think."

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He continued, "And whether it was the intimacy coordinator or the stunt coordinator, or whether it was Blake herself, we'd go back and watch playback, and Blake would say, 'We got it,' if it was on me, and I would really trust her. I really trusted her. She's got a great eye, and she was on the other end so it was very hard, and there was just a lot of trust. I had a lot of trust for the people around me, and they didn't steer me wrong."

It Ends With Us opens in theaters on Aug. 9.