The ongoing “It Ends With Us” legal drama has placed an unexpected spotlight on the film’s young co-star, Isabela Ferrer.
Ferrer played the teen version of Blake Lively’s character in the film, Lily Bloom, and the duo were paired together for multiple interviews.
Internet detectives put together a compilation of the actresses, claiming a pattern of Lively either talking over Ferrer or barely letting her get a word in for the duration.
“I’ve never heard someone say so much and nothing at the same time. It’s just so unreal,” one person wrote under the TikTok video.
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“The BOTH of them are being interviewed, so Blake is embarrassing herself yet again by always hogging the spotlight and dominating the conversation, even when some questions are aimed for Isabella – Blake’s overinflated EGO has to take over. Smh [Shaking my head]. Dammit Blake, let her talk!” one person wrote in the YouTube comments of the video.
Another noted Ferrer looks all the better for her near silence, writing, “Actually in a way I feel like she won the conversation by not speaking much because now Blake is exposed for who she is. People can now see through the verbal hijacking and the glaring red flags that [were] there all along.”
“Did anyone have an interview without her? I feel like she needed to speak for them so that they wouldn’t say anything they ‘shouldn’t,’” one person suggested on TikTok.
“The question isn’t necessarily whether or not Blake stole the spotlight on purpose, but why it was done at all?” Kara Schmiemann of Senior Director, Red Banyan, told Fox News Digital. “The age of women seeing each other as competition and stepping on other women’s toes to ‘get their flowers’ should be over.”
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“Women in any industry, especially in Hollywood, should be setting an example for the newcomers — setting the stage for them and making a seat at the table. Isabela may have wanted or needed a bit of mentorship–but it should never be at the expense of her moment to shine.”
Doug Eldridge of Achilles PR noted it may not have been intentional, explaining, “Lively was both the lead in the film and a more established star. There’s always a bit of jockeying for position during media sit-downs, but this was probably less sinister, and more about seniority.”
Ferrer did have praise for Lively during other interviews around the time of the film’s premiere.
She told People Magazine in August that Lively was “an angel,” and they shared a bond.
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“To be able to connect with the person that you’re sharing a role with is huge, and she’s just a really good person,” the 25-year-old said.
Ferrer also told The Hollywood Reporter in a joint interview with Lively she felt supported by the star.
“You came up to me and you were like, ‘I want you to know that this role is just as much yours as it is mine,'” she shared. “It was like the most supportive and uplifting thing to feel as a young actor coming into this, to feel like somebody like you who has such a high status and is so important in this project to also be like, ‘What do you think?’ That’s the biggest privilege and compliment.”
The up-and-coming actress was further pulled into the legal drama surrounding the film last month when texts between her and her co-star and director Baldoni were revealed in legal documents.
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In the 179-page, $400 million lawsuit filed on Jan. 16 against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist, Baldoni claims defamation and extortion over behind-the-scenes conflicts on the set of the movie.
One of the claims includes allegations that Lively “induced the other cast members to shun Baldoni, in an early attempt to give fans the impression that Baldoni had committed an egregious sin.”
Ferrer was one of the film’s collaborators who reportedly unfollowed Baldoni on social media and was not photographed with him during the press run.
According to the lawsuit, “the unfollowing of Baldoni by cast members and even the author of the book,” was “in stark contrast to the warm praise and appreciation cast members had until that point always showered on him.”
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To that point, the filing contains screenshots of texts purportedly between Ferrer and Baldoni showing her thanking the actor and director “for an incredible experience” on her first feature film.
“I also have to say thank you SO so much for an incredible experience on my first film,” Ferrer allegedly wrote. “I still can’t shake the feeling of it all because it truly was life changing for me, you are such a wonderful, smart and sincere director and you created such a comfortable, safe space for me to feel like I could fully step into this role.
“I couldn’t have asked for a more welcoming environment. It will stay with me for the rest of my life!!” she concluded.
The lawsuit highlights the point that, “Tellingly, Ferrer worked with Baldoni when Lively was not on the set; it was not until Ferrer spent substantial time with Lively during film promotions that Ferrer felt compelled to shun Baldoni in repudiation of her warm words.”
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Fox News Digital reached out Ferrer, Lively, and Baldoni for comment.
Ferrer is unlikely to face any fallout from the legal drama, even as it shines an unexpected spotlight on the actress.
“Isabela’s performance was incredibly strong, and being named in the drama is a footnote, at best,” Schmiemann said. “Her image should remain intact. Her communications with Justin Baldoni were nothing but kind, grateful, and magnanimous. Most people who are looking at this situation unfold are not holding Isabela accountable for what is currently at play. With some time and carefully chosen next steps and projects, she should have a plethora of opportunities ahead of her.”
Schmiemann also felt for Ferrer and her scene partner, Alex Neustaedter, who played young Atlas, that the “situation may have shone a spotlight on their name in a way that would not have occurred without the long-term news cycle that has been focused on this film. As long as any potential future statements and legal testimony continues to follow the current trajectory, the cast, as a whole, is unlikely to be impacted in the long run.”
She also noted that Brandon Sklenar, who played Atlas, and Jenny Slate, who played Baldoni’s sister in the film, “both have noteworthy credits to their names, with upcoming projects, and there is no reason to anticipate they would be harmed by this issue.”
There is some risk though, according to Eldridge.
“If it is proven — through discovery, depositions, or actual cross-examination — that she or any other cast members had a more active role in the overarching dispute, then that stigma will certainly attach to some degree. But otherwise, a ‘guilt by association’ just for being part of the same cast and crew is far less likely.”
“Hollywood, almost by definition, is a town based on drama and discord; this type of situation is not unprecedented — but the media coverage and eye-popping damages being sought might be,” he added.
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As more of the legal drama unfolds, the unexpected scrutiny of Ferrer’s relationship to the movie and its battling stars is likely to fade.
“One or both parties will likely try to pull her to their respective side as this case progresses. But Isabela might want to take the ‘Switzerland’ approach: a permanent neutral state; no sides and no standoffs,” Eldridge advised.
Ferrer is also unlikely to see either Lively or Baldoni defend her from public scrutiny, primarily for legal reasons.
“The Blake Lively legal camp likely isn’t happy that this exchange exists, but then again, the actress did subtly align herself with Blake during the premiere — knowingly or not. As professionals, both camps are likely to be cautious not to continue to directly embroil Isabela into this saga.”
