Brandon Sklenar recalled inadvertently getting stuck in the middle of his It Ends With Us costars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s lawsuit — and how it led to him receiving frightening online hate.
“There was a big learning curve for me because even though I had a small part in the film, my visibility shot through the roof,” Sklenar, who played Atlas Corrigan in the 2024 film, told The Hollywood Reporter in a profile published on Wednesday, December 17.
The actor, 35, recalled posting an Instagram statement during the August 2024 press tour asking for fans to be kinder.
“Colleen [Hoover] and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves,” Sklener wrote at the time. “Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about.”
He pointed out: “It is, in fact, the opposite of the point. What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film. It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.”
Sklener asked his followers at the time that “before you spread hate on the internet, ask yourself who its helping. Ask yourself if your opinions are based in any fact. Or if you simply want to be part of something. Let’s be part of something better together. A part of a new story being written for women and all people everywhere.”
His efforts to spread positivity backfired quickly.
“I wasn’t damning anybody, but I was just like, ‘Can we focus on the ethos of this whole f***ing movie and not be so hateful to anybody?’” Sklenar said during THR interview, referring to the movie’s themes of domestic abuse and getting out of a toxic relationship. “I thought it was a nice thing to say, but apparently a lot of people did not feel that way.”
Sklenar claimed the backlash was almost instantaneous, with people telling him, “‘You’re a piece of s***,’ ‘I hope you die,’ ‘I hope your career ends,’ things like that.”
The 1923 alum noted that his agent begged him to stay offline amid Lively and Baldoni’s public feud, but Sklenar said it was hard to ignore all the chatter.
“Imagine you’re walking down a hallway and there’s a door to a room full of 100,000 people and they’re all saying something about you,” Sklenar said. “You tell me you’re not going to put your ear to the door?”
It Ends With Us, which is the first book in Hoover’s two-part series adapted for film, was highly anticipated by readers and moviegoers alike. However, it was what happened behind the scenes that has since made it so infamous.
Lively, who served as a producer and was the leading lady, accused director and costar Baldoni of sexual harassment following the movie’s release, filing a lawsuit against him in December 2024. (Lively played Lily Bloom, while Baldoni portrayed her abusive partner Ryle Kincaid.)
Baldoni denied the allegations and filed a countersuit in January, asking for $400 million in damages.
After trading public jabs and allegations for months, a judge dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit against Lively. The original lawsuit is still ongoing with a trial set to take place in New York in March 2026.
Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, and friend Taylor Swift are among those who’ve been dragged into the scandal along the way.
The fury around Sklenar’s request for kindness and his connection to the It Ends With Us lawsuit, however, has settled down and he’s gone on to land one hit role after another.
After starring in 2025’s Drop alongside Meghann Fahy, Sklenar teamed up with Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney for The Housemaid, which hits theaters this week.
While working on The Housemaid, Sklenar said he bonded with Sweeney, 29, over their shared experience of unwanted attention — like the drama surrounding It Ends With Us.
“Sydney’s been through her fair share [with that],” Sklenar told THR. “And we’ve spoken a bit about it. You really just have to block it out and not let it in.”
Sweeney, 29, came under fire over the summer for her American Eagle jeans ad, which some claimed was promoting eugenics due to its slogan, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” (Eugenics is a widely discredited belief that aims to improve human genetics — in this case the allegation that the brand swapped “jeans” for “genes” — and is often associated with white supremacy.)
American Eagle and Sweeney denied the allegations. “I was honestly surprised by the reaction. I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand,” Sweeney told People earlier this month.
The Euphoria alum noted, “I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness.”
