Justin Baldoni Addresses Accusation It Ends With Us Romanticizes Domestic Violence

Justin Baldoni has an important message for filmgoers.

The It Ends With Us director and actor is responding to the criticism that the movie romanticizes domestic violence.

"I think that they are absolutely entitled to that opinion," he told the Associated Press in an interview published Aug. 9, "and it makes perfect sense as to why they would feel that way."

The adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel follows the story of Blake Lively's Lily Bloom as she navigates a complicated and abusive relationship with charming neurosurgeon Ryle (Justin), and reconnects with her teenage love Atlas (Brandon Sklenar).

And as Justin explained, we unfortunately live in a culture where "many things are glorified and we are fighting for attention."

The 40-year-old—who, along with his It Ends With Us costars, has been the subject of feud rumors—pointed to the news cycle, adding that we live in a clickbait world where "everybody is trying to figure out how to gather attention." But he certainly understands why there are those who feel a certain way about the film.

"If anybody has had that real life experience," the Jane the Virgin alum continued, "I can imagine how hard it would be to imagine their experience being in a romance novel. To them I would just offer that that we were very intentional in the making of this movie."

Justin has previously spoken about the making of the film, and his very conscious decision to step back and allow the intimacy coordinator and stunt coordinator take the lead on the more delicate scenes in the film that depicted domestic violence.

"The last thing I wanted to do was have a male gaze penetrate these very important moments that need to be told in a truthful way," he told Today.com Aug. 9, "to represent all of the women that experience them every day."

As for Blake, the 36-year-old—who also serves as a producer on the film—has also given insight into her feelings on the movie's topics, especially when it comes to the more difficult aspects.

"This movie covers domestic violence," she told BBC News at the Aug. 8 London premiere, "but what's important about this film is that she is not just a survivor and she's not just a victim, and while those are huge thing to be, they're not her identity."

For Blake, Lily's story is more about defining herself, adding, "I think that that's deep empowering to remind people that no one else can define you. No experience can define you. You define you."

And she is so thankful to those who have supported It Ends With Us since it was released Aug. 9.

"Thank you to everyone who came out to show that people WANT to see films about women, and the multitudes we hold," she shared on Instagram Stories Aug. 13. "It Ends With Us is a story of the female experience. All the highest highs, and lowest lows. And we are so proud of it."

She also shared information about those who have experienced domestic violence, offering the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline for those who need support.

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