Justin Baldoni takes family to Universal Studios after thanking ‘It Ends With Us’ fans amid Blake Lively drama
Justin Baldoni is putting his family first amid reports of drama among the cast of his latest project, “It Ends With Us.”
The 40-year-old took his family, including wife Emily Baldoni and their daughter Maiya, 9, and son Maxwell, 6, to Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday.
The family of four took an enthusiastic photo in front of the iconic gates leading into the theme park. Justin and Emily smiled for the camera as their little ones faced away and raised their fists high in the sky.
Another shot captured the couple, who tied the knot in 2013, posing for the picture as Baldoni rested his head atop his wife’s while a third snap showed them kissing.
Their day out comes a month after the “Jane the Virgin” alum gave Emily a special shout-out on their anniversary.
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” – Rumi,” Baldoni wrote on Instagram. “Happy 11 years my love.”
The “It Ends With Us” star also took a moment to express his appreciation for the fans who have continued to attend theaters to see Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel brought to life.
“Thank you to everyone who has seen @itendswithusmovie,” Baldoni captioned his Instagram video on Saturday. “These theater surprises have been one of my favorite experiences, and meeting you all in person and hearing your stories means more to me than you could ever know. And thank you to the amazing teams at @amctheatres for being so gracious and for getting us out of the elevator.”
He added, “I hope you continue to share your stories and help us spread awareness and hope for the survivors and victims of DV. Please go to @nomoreorg (link in bio) if you need help or resources.”
However, amid the movie’s box office success, Baldoni has hired crisis public-relations manager Melissa Nathan.
The actor has continued to promote the film, but despite being both the director and a male lead, he has not done any press with his co-stars.
Baldoni also chose not to make any red-carpet appearances alongside his leading lady Blake Lively — who served as a producer on the movie, Isabela Ferrer, Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate.
In fact, Baldoni and Lively watched the film in different movie theaters at the New York premiere on Aug. 6.
Lively took her guests into one theater while Baldoni, his family and friends watched in another.
And it turns out that social media sleuths discovered that the cast only follows Lively on social media.
Since the drama has unfolded, the “Wedding Daze” actor has made it clear that he won’t be returning to direct the sequel movie based on Colleen’s novel “It Starts With Us.”
“I think there are better people for that one,” Baldoni shared with “Entertainment Tonight” at the NYC premiere. “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct, that’s what I think.”
As for what caused the rift? Well, the “Not Today” star alluded to creative differences on set while talking to Elle Canada in an interview published Aug. 12.
“There are all these things that happen every day on set, there’s always friction that happens when you make a movie like this,” Baldoni explained. “Then at the end of the day, it’s that friction, I believe, that creates the beautiful art. Everything in life needs friction to grow.”
Meanwhile, a source on set told People earlier this month that “there is much more to this story. The principal cast and Colleen Hoover will have nothing to do with him.”
One industry source also claimed to Page Six that Baldoni created an “extremely difficult” atmosphere behind the scenes for the entire cast, with a second alleging there were a few moments on set where Lively felt “uncomfortable” about her postpartum body.
