Justin Baldoni Enlists Pr Expert Melissa Nathan to Handle ‘It Ends With Us’ Controversy

In light of the release of his new movie It Ends With Us, Justin Baldoni has reportedly hired crisis PR veteran Melissa Nathan, according to Us Weekly.

Nathan worked with renowned crisis strategist Matthew Hiltzik for almost ten years until starting her own company, The Agency Group, earlier this summer. Her business specializes in providing digital team services, personal PR, crisis management, reputation management, and communications to the entertainment sector.

The announcement coincides with internet rumors of a falling out between Baldoni and Blake Lively, with whom he costarred in It Ends With Us. Fans have been pointing out that Baldoni has been left out of a lot of the film’s promotional material and has been conspicuously absent from cast images taken at the August 6 premiere in New York City.

It was also pointed out by several that although Baldoni follows them on social media, neither Lively, 36, nor the other actors do.

The Hollywood Reporter was informed earlier this week by insiders that Baldoni—who also serves as the film’s director—and Lively—who produces it—had a falling out during post-production after two distinct versions of the picture surfaced.

Deadpool & Wolverine editor Shane Reid is said to have given Lively a cut of the film; however, it’s unclear which edit made the final cut. Meanwhile, reports from other sources claim that Lively was made to feel “uncomfortable” on set by Baldoni.

The movie It Ends With Us, which is based on the same-titled novel by Colleen Hoover, follows florist Lily Bloom (Lively) as she starts an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni). Lily’s initial love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), reappears in her life during their turbulent relationship.

An It Starts With Us sequel set years after the original book was published in 2022 was inspired by the novel. (Wayfarer Studios, Baldoni’s production firm, acquired the novel’s rights in 2019.)

At the NYC premiere, Baldoni told Entertainment Tonight that he probably wouldn’t return to film the sequel, despite the fact that neither he nor Lively have commented on the feud allegations.

He told the newspaper, “I think there are better people for that one,” before advising Lively to take the lead. Blake Lively seems prepared to take the helm. That’s my opinion.

Nonetheless, Baldoni hasn’t stopped gushing about Lively while advertising the movie. He commended the former Gossip Girl for being involved in “every aspect” of the film, “from scenes and dialogue until the end, until now,” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly earlier this month.

He told the source, “She’s been involved in everything, and she’s been a powerhouse of a creative and a wonderful collaborator.” When it came time to film the more challenging abuse scenes, Baldoni said Lively was a valuable mentor who helped him navigate the challenges of juggling his director and actor responsibilities.

He said, “Blake was a wonderful partner in those situations.” It was incredibly challenging, but I believe that I surround myself with trustworthy individuals and exceptionally gifted creatives. If I ever find myself struggling to understand the big picture, I’ll turn to my partners and get their opinion.

“I truly had faith in her,” Baldoni added. It was really difficult because she was on the other end and had a terrific eye, and there was a lot of confidence. I put a lot of trust in those around me, and they never gave me bad advice.

In order to make sure the movie emphasized the viewpoint of women, Baldoni continued, he depended on Lively and the other women who worked on the set.

In an interview with THR on Saturday, August 10, Baldoni said:

“To be very honest, in many of the situations I would give my vision and then I would step back and let the women actually run the set and the show.” Blake was also quite involved and had numerous suggestions for how this ought to go. Many times, I would just watch and think to myself, “Yeah, that sounds great,” without saying a word.

“I was actually able to then go into Ryle because in those moments, that was the hardest for me as an actor and the most complex for Ryle,” he went on.

They relieved me of a great deal of responsibility and made sure that every scene was handled delicately and had a female gaze instead of a male one, which was one of my initial worries when I wasn’t sure if I could even direct this film. I wanted to make sure that it preserved the book’s message from a female point of view.

In an interview with Hits Radio UK, Lively revealed that there was at least one argument behind the scenes of It Ends With Us when she said that “they begged” her to remove Lana Del Rey’s song “Cherry” from the film. (Lively refrained from naming the “they” in question.)

She said, “I’m not supposed to be talking about this.” “Because they thought it was excessively heavy and charged, and at that point, things were still going well with Ryle, so you don’t want to feel that charge.” And I thought, “Atlas comes in, and things get charged and heavy.”

You’re thinking, “Oh my God, my soulmate, the one that got away in my life, this person who’s haunting me in everything I do and everywhere I go is here now, and we still had that connection,” so there’s conflict, pain, upheaval, and tension. Even if you are madly in love with someone, when they enter your life, your insides will be in disarray. Thus, that explains why.