Blake Lively Speaks in Public for 1st Time Amid Justin Baldoni Lawsuit

Blake Lively spoke in public for the first time amid her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni.

“I love this character so much. It’s probably my favorite character I’ve ever been fortunate enough to play,” Lively, 37, said of her latest role while attending the SXSW premiere of Another Simple Favor on Friday, March 7, per Page Six. “So when Paul [Feig] asked us to come back, I was so excited.”

Lively noted that she was “really nervous” filming 2018’s A Simple Favor, because “we didn’t know if we were making a drama or a comedy.” Lively noted that they asked Feig, and he told them, “yes,” which she quipped was “not really an answer to the question.”

“But it worked out, so I was like, ‘OK, no nerves. I know what I’m doing this time,’” she continued. “Right before we started shooting he said, ‘I have, like, a little bit of a curveball idea.’ Which, I’m not going to say what it was, because, you know, we don’t want to give away anything. But it definitely, you know, upped the ante. It was very uncomfortable to watch in this theater with you all. … But yeah, it was fun, it’s always fun. Getting to work with Anna [Kendrick] again, obviously, and this incredible group of people, is amazing.”

Before hitting the stage on Friday, Kendrick, 39, dodged multiple questions about collaborating with Lively. When asked on the red carpet what it was like working with Lively again, Kendrick quipped to Entertainment Tonight, “Oh, you know.”

Lively, for her part, was asked a similar question about Kendrick and had a positive response. “Oh, it’s the best!” she gushed. “I’m so happy to be here.”

Kendrick was also asked by Variety about her thoughts on Another Simple Favor being “impacted” by what’s “going on in the world,” to which she deadpanned, “Why? What happened? I did ayahuasca and the last year of my life has been gone. But I hear the movie is amazing.”

Despite rumors that Kendrick and Lively did not get along while working together on the first movie, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that there “aren’t any issues” between the pair now. The insider noted that they both “really love” the sequel and planned to “be doing press together.” However, the source added that Lively and Kendrick were disappointed “to see all the hate online” after the movie’s poster was released, noting that the women “want fans to focus on the film and not any outside drama.”

The outing on Friday marked Lively’s second public appearance since filing a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us costar and director. Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, walked the red carpet at the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary special in February — and made headlines after the Deadpool and Wolverine star, 48, referenced the legal battle during the show.

When Amy Poehler and Tina Fey asked how Reynolds was doing, he replied, “Great. Why, what have you heard?” Lively kept her face blank while sitting next to her husband.

News broke in December 2024 that Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and allegedly launching a “social manipulation” campaign against her to destroy her reputation. Baldoni, who has denied the allegations, filed his own lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist in January, citing defamation among other claims. (The couple has denied the accusations.) The legal battle is ongoing and scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.