A Simple Favor director Paul Feig has publicly defended actress Blake Lively amid her ongoing legal issues with actor Justin Baldoni.
Lively and Baldoni were co-stars in It Ends With Us, and, according to Newsweek, the actress filed a lawsuit alleging s*xual harassment from Baldoni, lead actor and director of the film. Baldoni then recruited a PR team for damage control, according to a The New York Times report, says Wikipedia.
Feig and Lively have collaborated again in the upcoming film, Another Simple Favor, a sequel to the 2018 thriller, A Simple Favor. The new film is set to open the 2025 SXSW film and TV festival with a world premiere on March 7, 2025, in Austin Texas. The festival’s organisers took to Instagram to announce the news on February 4, 2025.
A user took to the comments section and inquired if the film was “Paul Feig’s cut or Blake’s cut.”
To this, the director answered:
“It’s my cut. There is no other cut.” He added that “Blake has been nothing but a supportive and a dream to work with. She is the best and an amazing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan.”
The Instagram user’s question about Another Simple Favor having two cuts came in the wake of reports that It Ends With Us had two cuts, owing to creative differences between Lively and Baldoni. According to The Hollywood Reporter, an insider report claimed the production team ultimately leaned towards using Lively's version.
In her complaint, Lively alleged that Baldoni added graphic content and scenes in It Ends With Us that were not part of the original script, which she objected to. However, this is not the first time Feig has defended Lively. Last year, Feig put out an X post in her defence. Here are the details.
What did Paul Feig say earlier while backing Blake Lively?
On December 23, 2024, director Paul Feig posted in defence of Blake Lively on X, expressing his support for the actress, according to a report in The Wrap. He wrote:
“I’ve now made two movies with Blake and all I can say is she’s one of the most professional, creative, collaborative, talented and kind people I’ve ever worked with. She truly did not deserve any of this smear campaign against her. I think it’s awful she was put through this.”

His comments followed Lively’s complaint against Justin Baldoni where she allegedly accused him of s*xual harassment on the sets of It Ends With Us and claimed he orchestrated a smear campaign against her in response to her allegations.
In addition to Paul Feig, many celebrities have come forward to support Blake Lively following her legal dispute with Baldoni. America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn, who starred alongside Lively in The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants, supported her through a joint statement on Instagram and criticized those who made efforts “to discredit her voice.”
Colleen Hoover, the author of the novel, It Ends With Us, on which the film is based, also shared an Instagram story in her support of Lively. She reffered to the statement shared by her friends and wrote:
“..this statement from these women and Blake's ability to refuse to sit down and 'be buried' has been nothing short of inspiring.."
Gwyneth Paltrow, Michele Morrone, Christina Ricci, Sony Pictures, Amber Heard, and Amy Schumer are reportedly among others who have backed Blake Lively in her ongoing legal battle.
Another Simple Favor stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively reprising their roles as Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson. The film has been written by Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis, and directed by Paul Feig. It will reportedly hit the theatres on May 1, 2025.

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