Blake Lively Says Having 'Lots of Copyright' on Her Lily Helped Her Handle Heavy Subject Matter of 'It Ends With Us'

“It Ends With Us” may be a love story, but it’s also a story about domestic violence. It’s a heavy subject, especially for those involved in it to deal with on a daily basis. But, at least for Blake Lively, having “room to play” with her character helped her better handle the subject.

Based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 book of the same name, Sony’s film follows Lily, a florist who falls in love with neurosurgeon Ryle (Justin Baldoni). But as their relationship develops, Lily realizes that Ryle is abusive, just like her father was toward her mother.

When Lily’s high school sweetheart Atlas (Brandon Sklenar) shows up and instantly recognizes the signs of physical abuse, Lily’s life (and her emotions) become even more complicated as she tries to convince herself that things aren’t so bad.

Taking on the role of Lily, Lively had a “clear” vision of who Lily was, and having full permission to explore this older version of herself made it easier for her to handle such heavy material throughout the entire shoot.

“I was fortunate to have a lot of responsibility in embodying it. So I never felt like I was going into a space and being like, ‘Oh, I have to do something really rigid and say these words that don’t feel like mine’ or that don’t feel authentic,” Lively told TheWrap.

The actress added that there was “a lot of room to play,” but not in a way that disrespected the seriousness of the subject matter they were depicting.

“It was so alive and breathing. And when I say acting, I don’t mean there’s obviously heaviness and sadness and pain and trauma, but it wasn’t like every moment, every take was the same,” Lively added. “It was very, very alive, and we were all reacting to each other.”

She continued: “And it makes your job so much easier. Because if you just have to go out there and say, ‘OK, I just have to deal with this caricature of a person that I think I have to represent,’ it’s very difficult.”

“It Ends With Us” is now in theaters.

Call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788

The article Blake Lively Says Having ‘A Lot of Fatherhood’ Over Her Lily Helped Her Handle the Heavy Subject Matter of ‘It Ends With Us’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.