Blake Lively Finds Passion and Pressure in ‘It Ends With Us’ Adaptation

 Blake Lively poses for photographers upon arrival at the UK Gala Screening for the film "It 'Ends With Us" on Thursday, Aug, 8, 2024 in London. (AP)
Blake Lively poses for photographers upon arrival at the UK Gala Screening for the film "It 'Ends With Us" on Thursday, Aug, 8, 2024 in London. (AP)
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Blake Lively Finds Passion and Pressure in ‘It Ends With Us’ Adaptation

 Blake Lively poses for photographers upon arrival at the UK Gala Screening for the film "It 'Ends With Us" on Thursday, Aug, 8, 2024 in London. (AP)
Blake Lively poses for photographers upon arrival at the UK Gala Screening for the film "It 'Ends With Us" on Thursday, Aug, 8, 2024 in London. (AP)

Serving fans of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel "It Ends With Us" was at the heart of bringing the book to the big screen, actress Blake Lively says.

At the London premiere of the romantic drama on Thursday, Lively said that turning the novel into a film, was "a great responsibility, but also an opportunity."

"When you have to service a group of people who are so passionate about the source material ... to be able to serve people who care so much, is beautiful," the actor said.

In the movie Lively plays Lily Bloom, a Boston-based florist who falls for handsome neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin Baldoni, who also directed the film.

As their relationship gets more serious, Ryle starts showing traits reminiscent of Lily's father's abusive behavior, triggering her childhood trauma and forcing Lily to make tough decisions about her future to break a toxic pattern.

Lively, who made her directorial debut with Taylor Swift's "I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version)" music video, received her first producer credit on "It Ends With Us".

"I used to feel like an impostor because I would watch actors who were just shapeshifters. And then I realized that half of the actors that I admire most are people who had to get their hands in the storytelling, the writing and the creating and I was like, oh, okay, there's two different categories and I'm in this category, and that's okay," she said.

"Once I started embracing that and leaning into it and not feeling embarrassed about it, I think I was able to do the best work. And so that's why I'm so proud of this film," she said.

"It Ends With Us" began its global cinematic rollout on August 7 and is out in US and UK theaters on August 9.



New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office

New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office
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New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office

New 'Superman' Muscles to $122 Million at US, Canada Box Office

A new "Superman" movie from Warner Bros hauled in $122 million at box offices in the United States and Canada over the weekend, a strong debut that kicked off a new era for DC comic book heroes on the big screen.

The movie that introduces David Corenswet as the Man of Steel added $95 million in international markets for a global total of $217 million through Sunday, Warner Bros said on Sunday.

"Superman" is a reboot of the movie franchise based on the hero who debuted in comic books in 1938. The film's performance is critical to the future of Warner Bros and its DC Studios division.

Despite a stable of iconic characters including Batman and Wonder Woman, DC has not been able to match the blockbuster box office power of Walt Disney's Marvel superhero films.

The new "Superman" was written and directed by James Gunn, the filmmaker known for three offbeat "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies for Marvel. Gunn was tapped as co-CEO of DC Studios in 2022, alongside producer Peter Safran, and billed as the hero who could bring consistent success to its film and TV projects.