Blake Lively and Jenny Slate Excited to Collaborate on ‘It Ends With Us’

Published: 9:29 PM PDT, August 4, 2024

While Blake Lively’s new film It Ends With Us is a tale of love, loss, pain, and hope, her real-life friendship with co-star Jenny Slate is filled with true love and joy.

Lively and Slate sat down with ET’s Rachel Smith in New York City on Sunday to promote their new romantic drama. The pair had nothing but kind words for the bond they formed during filming.

“I love Jenny so much, and she was such an anchor for me in so many ways,” Lively, 36, said. “She’s just full of love and light, but she’s also deeply grounded.”

Lively’s connection with Slate grew from their mutual love for their personal lives and their work. “We love our work and take it very seriously. We work very hard and completely immerse ourselves in our work, but who we are is defined by our personal life so much more than our work,” Lively explained. “We can be both of those things at once.”

Lively, who shares four children with husband Ryan Reynolds, talked about the guilt of balancing work and personal life. “When you’re working, sometimes you feel guilty for not being in your personal life during those hours you’re at work. Just knowing that someone was having that same experience was very grounding,” she shared.

Slate, who shares a 3-year-old daughter with her husband, author Ben Shattuck, echoed these sentiments.

“I deeply fell in love with her,” Slate said of Lively and their time on set. “I have admired Blake for so long. She’s so fresh, so detail-oriented, so prepared — knowing exactly what page on the script things occurred on.”

Slate cherished the opportunity to not only act opposite Lively but also to become close friends off-camera. “[She’s a] deeply trustworthy person who is also willing to share. We had long talks,” Slate recalled. “I was never expecting to have the off-set experience that I had.”

“I was really eager to work with Blake, but to make a friend who is so capable in so many ways is just an added joy. I’m just so grateful for this sweet person,” Slate added with a smile.

It Ends With Us, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, follows flower shop owner Lily Bloom’s (Lively) volatile relationship with boyfriend Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni). The story gets more complicated with the reappearance of her first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar). Slate stars as Allysa Kincaid, Lily’s best friend and Ryle’s sister.

It Ends With Us hits theaters on Aug. 9.

Source: ET