While this story might not end with just one film, Justin Baldoni isn’t thinking that far ahead.
After the success of It Ends With Us—the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, which Justin directed and also starred in alongside Blake Lively and Brandon Skenlar—hopes for a sequel quickly abounded. But for Justin, he’s focused on the here and now.
“I've been hearing the sequel conversations,” the Jane the Virgin alum admitted. “People ask me all the time about sequels. We are in this place where we are just trying to be in the moment. And I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude for the lives that this has impacted and changed.”
He added, “So we're not even thinking about a sequel right now. Just enjoying the fact that this movie that's taken years and years to come to fruition is actually having the true impact and is now going to be able to be seen by so many people on Netflix. And that's where we are right now.” (For more with Justin, tune into E! News tonight, Dec. 5 at 11 p.m.)
Because indeed, after the film’s box office success, It Ends With Us is headed to the streaming giant Dec. 9. For Justin, it’s a welcome next step that will allow even more people to see the movie—which follows protagonist Lily Bloom as she navigates what becomes an abusive relationship—and feel the impact of its message.
“We wanted to make sure that this movie had the chance to become a female event film where women could go to the theater and experience this with other women,” he explained. “And then also it could go directly into as many homes as possible. We just hope that it touches as many people as possible and continues to give the people who needed strength.”
Justin also spoke to the impact the film has already had on viewers during its theatrical run.
“There's so much gratitude,” the 40-year-old said. “It was a journey to get that movie on the screen and the messages—I always said that if there's one person who sees this movie and who finds the strength to leave an abusive situation, then it was worth it—and thousands and thousands and thousands of messages later.”
He continued, “We make movies for impact and the fact that this had real impact, I don't really have words. I'm just really so grateful.”
This is not to say that the film came without its ups and downs. In addition to feud rumors between Blake and Justin that plagued the film’s promotional cycle—Justin, for his part, has complimented Blake’s work ethic and creativity in interviews—he has also been candid about the personal toll that directing and playing the film’s antagonist took on him.
“Directing is a very lonely job, I'll just be very candid, because you are kind of at the top of this totem pole,” he explained on the Dec. 4 episode of the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast. “In your moments of quiet, everybody has a thousand questions for you and also nobody wants to disturb you. And you don't really have many people to talk to and you can't necessarily share your anxiety or your nervousness about something because you're also the leader.”
And embodying the character of Ryle—Lily’s abusive husband—likewise weighed on Justin’s mental health.
“It’s a very strange place to be, let alone directing while trying to play a character who does the things that Ryle does in the movie,” he said. “There were moments in the filming of this where I would just have to leave. I'd have to remove myself and go shake it out.”
Yet, while he admitted he even had dreams from Ryle’s point of view and took four months after filming to feel like he’d rid himself of his character, Justin added, “It lived in my body, but I think for the most part, he's out.”
--Reporting by John Redmann