Justin Baldoni reveals on-Set 'breakdowns' after Blake Lively controversy in It Ends With Us
Justin Baldoni shared the emotional toll of directing and acting in It Ends With Us, revealing struggles with his character’s trauma and creative challenge
Hollywood actor-director Justin Baldoni recently opened up about the profound struggles he faced while simultaneously directing and portraying a deeply complex character in the film It Ends With Us. Speaking on an episode of Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail podcast, Baldoni shared the emotional toll of stepping into the role of Ryle, a character whose actions and traumas are central to the film’s exploration of domestic violence.
“It’s a very strange place to be. Directing while trying to play a character like Ryle—who does the things he does—was overwhelming at times. There were moments during filming when I just had to leave, to step away and shake it out.” he said said.
The 40-year-old, who also directed the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, starred opposite Blake Lively as Lily Bloom, Ryle’s wife and the story’s protagonist. The film’s heavy themes demanded intense emotional work, and Baldoni confessed that staying in character often left him emotionally shaken.
“I’ve done a lot of somatic therapy, and there were times on set when I was physically trembling,” he said. “There’s one scene where Ryle finds Lily’s phone and becomes consumed with jealousy and heartbreak. He doesn’t harm her, but you can see how dangerous he is. After shooting that scene, I nearly had a breakdown,” Baldoni added.
The process of embodying Ryle’s pain and trauma proved to be one of the hardest aspects of the role. “What’s difficult about a character like that isn’t just his actions. It’s the trauma that drives those actions—the insecurity, the pain, and even the belief that you shouldn’t be alive. Living in that mindset for weeks on end was incredibly taxing,” Baldoni reflected.
Even after filming wrapped, the character lingered with Baldoni. “It took months to fully shake off Ryle. I even had dreams as him for a while. But thankfully, I think he’s mostly out of my system now,” he admitted.
Adding to the challenge was Baldoni’s dual role as director, which often left him feeling isolated on set. “Directing is a very lonely job,” he said. “You’re at the top of this totem pole, and while everyone looks to you for answers, it’s hard to share your own anxieties or uncertainties. You have to be the leader, even when you’re struggling internally.”
While It Ends With Us sparked discussions for its portrayal of domestic violence, it also faced controversy off-screen. Tensions reportedly arose between Baldoni and Lively, stemming from creative disagreements about the film’s direction. Despite the difficulties, Baldoni remained committed to honouring the source material and addressing the story’s sensitive themes.
The director also expressed regret that the film did not include a trigger warning for its audience, a feature he had strongly advocated for. “I didn’t want to retraumatize viewers,” he explained. “I fought for a trigger warning at the start of the film, but that was a battle I couldn’t win.”
Rumours of their rift began surfacing when the two didn't promote the film together. They weren't clicked together at the premiere, held in August earlier this year either. Reportedly, Blake commissioned an edit of the film, which was different from that of Baldoni, which eventually made it as the final cut. She also allegedly spread the rumour that Baldoni fat-shamed her and kissed her for too long in an intimate scene. According to a report in Variety, Lively's actor-husband Ryan Reynolds also wrote a key scene of the film, thus allegedly undermining Baldoni's credit. Baldoni, too, previously had distanced himself from th directing the sequel, despite the fact that his production house has the rights for making the movie.
“This is uncharted territory, and nobody has any idea of what a sequel could look like. There’s probably no world where these two will work together again," a source was quoted as saying.
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