Blake Lively Shares Emotional Note Thanking Fans for ‘Embracing’ “It Ends With Us” with ‘Same Love, Pain and Joy’

“We are so proud of it,” she said of the film while also sharing resources for survivors of domestic violence

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Blake Lively in London on Aug. 8, 2024

Blake Lively is thanking her fans for supporting It Ends With Us and the film’s “important” messages.

Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, the romantic drama debuted in theaters with a strong $50 million opening weekend at the domestic box office. In the film, Lively plays a woman named Lily Bloom, who gets tangled in an abusive relationship before making the decision to leave.

On her Instagram Stories Aug. 13, star and producer Lively, 36, shared a message to her followers, writing, “Thank you to everyone who came out to show that people WANT to see films about women, and the crowds we hold.”

“It Ends With Us is a story of the female experience. To the highest highs, and lowest lows. And we are so proud of it,” she continued. “We have been in celebration of this film and of getting a message so important out there to the masses.”

Lively added, “Thank you all for embracing It Ends With Us with the same love, pain and joy we had sharing it with you all.”

Related: Blake Lively and Jenny Slate Break Down Their Emotional It Ends With Us Scene: ‘I Had Snot Pouring’ (Exclusive)

Nicole Rivelli/SONY PICTURES

Blake Lively in “It Ends With Us”

With the post, Lively shared a clip of herself speaking about the themes on the red carpet at the London premiere.

“The movie covers domestic violence, but what’s important about this film is that she is not just a survivor and not just a victim. And while those are huge things to be, they’re not her identity,” she told BBC at the Aug .8 events in the video. “She She’s not defined by something that someone else did to her or an event that happened to her, even if it’s multiple events. Ella She defines herself.”

“I think that’s deeply empowering to remind people that no one else can define you, no experience can define you — you define you,” Lively told the outlet. “I really feel like we delivered a story that’s emotional and it’s fun and it’s funny and it’s painful and it’s scary and it’s tragic and it’s inspiring. And that’s what life is.”

Also on her Instagram Stories, Lively shared resources for survivors of domestic violence. She shared the CDC statistic that 1 in 4 adult women have experienced physical violence by their intimate partners in their lifetimes. And she wrote, “Intimate partner violence affects all genders, including more than 12 million people every year in the United States.”

Related: How to Watch It Ends With Us as a Domestic Violence Survivor

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Blake Lively in New York City on Aug. 6, 2024″ src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Wv33q7ntKmhIJYDJpQCgEg–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTk2MA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/people_218/07095bee7d2c0662c016fc52e89ef33c”/>Cindy Ord/Getty

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Blake Lively in New York City on Aug. 6, 2024

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“Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence. The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides confidential support 24/7/365,” she wrote, adding a link to the hotline, plus: “For immediate help text “START” to 88788.”

The film’s end credits also point to: “If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Visit: www.nomore.org for information and support.”

It Ends With Us is directed by Justin Baldoni, who also stars as the abusive partner Ryle Kincaid, alongside a cast that includes Lively, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate and more.

Baldoni recently told Variety the takeaways he hopes men have when watching the film: “My hope was that this is a film that could help someone who was on the path to becoming a Ryle. That’s why I didn’t want to show him as this angry villain from the beginning; I wanted to be more subversive and slow with it. Trauma doesn’t discriminate. And men are also victims of domestic violence.”

It Ends With Us is in theaters now.

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