Justin Baldoni Talks Casting Blake Lively in 'It Ends with Us,' Praises Her Portrayal of Lily & Reveals How He Handled Playing Ryle

justjared.com:

Justin Baldoni is speaking out about working with Blake Lively on their new film It Ends with Us.

If you don’t know, Justin directed the movie and also portrays Ryle, love interest to Blake Lively‘s Lily.

The film deals with some dark and triggering material, including Ryle’s domestic abuse. Keep reading to find out more… About casting Blake for the role, Justin told People, “The way [Colleen Hoover] wrote the book, outside of the [character’s red] hair color, the actress could have been played by anybody, so long as she was a woman that was extremely charming, likable, and that everybody would root for.

The only box [Blake] didn’t check was that she didn’t have red hair, which is a very easy fix in the film business! He also praised her as being “involved in every area of production.” He shared, “She’s a creative force, she’s an executive producer on the film, and she is so brilliant.