Justin Baldoni Details Working With "Complex Personalities" on It Ends With Us

Justin Baldoni is getting candid about the delicate balance acting in and directing a film.

It Ends With Us marked his first time pulling double duty on a project, and he admitted it was an "extreme challenge" at times—especially when working with so many different points of view on set.

"Every movie is a miracle," Justin told Today.com in an interview published Aug. 9. "And then, of course, you're navigating complex personalities and trying to get everybody on the same page with the same vision. And mistakes are always made, and then you figure out how to move past them."

But his approach to helming the adaptation of the 2016 Colleen Hoover novel—which costars Blake Lively, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer—from a very collaborative place.

"I'm a 'best idea wins' person," he explained, "and I always have been, to a fault."

In fact, Justin noted that at times it felt like people on set were wondering "if I know what I'm doing or if I have a point of view, because I'm so willing to have my vision changed."

"You don't have to listen to everybody and that didn't happen all the time," he continued, "but there were just moments where I would get out of the way too much."

But Justin—who shares children Maiya, 9, and Maxwell, 6 with wife Emily Baldoni—still believes that ultimately, it was all for the best, adding, "I don't believe that inspiration or creativity comes through one person."

And there were plenty of times where he felt stepping back was the right call, like when he requested 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 explained, "to represent all of the women that experience them every day."

The Jane the Virgin alum was also thankful to costar Blake—the leading lady he previously called a "creative force"—who was also a producer.

"You can't summarize Blake's contribution in a sentence," he told Today.com, "because her energy and imprint is all over the movie and really, really made the film better, and from beginning to end."

Extending his gratitude to Blake's "creative genius" husband Ryan Reynolds, Justin shared he would absolutely work with the couple again "if they'd have me."

For Blake's part, the 36-year-old has also talked about the collaborative nature of the film, even revealing that Ryan had a hand in writing one of the movie's more important scenes.

"The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it," she revealed to E! News at the film's premiere in New York City Aug. 6. "Nobody knows that, but you now."

However, amid the collaborative praise Justin and Blake have bestowed on the other, many fans have speculated that the making of the film wasn't as smooth-sailing behind the scenes—with many pointing to how Justin hasn't joined his fellow cast mates while promoting the film. "So something DEFINITELY happened on the set of It Ends With Us," one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Aug. 7. "I need to get to the bottom of it."

While another joked, "Justin baldoni and the It Ends With Us cast beefing is so funny to me." 

However, in response to speculation about numerous edits of the film, an insider close to the situation told E! News, "There are often several cuts during the post-production process and it's the very nature of post-production. And everyone was in complete agreement about the final cut of the film and that it's the best version of the film."

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