Actor Bart Johnson, who is married to Blake Lively's older sister Robyn Lively, is speaking out defending the actress following the backlash Lively has received over her promotion of her new film 'It Ends With Us' as well as her rumored feud with director/co-star Justin Baldoni.
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00:00Blake Lively's brother-in-law is coming to her defense over the criticism she's faced
00:04over her film It Ends With Us, saying the truth has not come out yet.
00:09High School Musical actor Bart Johnson, who's married to Blake's older sister Robin Lively,
00:13responded to a comment on his recent Instagram post where he shared a birthday tribute to Blake.
00:19The comment read,
00:20Shame she's so set on promoting happiness in a domestic violence setting
00:24without any regard for any victims. Disappointing from Blake.
00:28Johnson wrote in response, which appears to have since been deleted,
00:31I'm really sorry you feel that way. I'm sure you have a huge heart and want the best.
00:35I can promise you the truth has not come out yet.
00:37Blake worked harder on this film than anything I've seen her do my entire life,
00:41because it meant so much to her.
00:43He went on to write,
00:44The message is in the book and in the movie, not in short clips-slash-interviews.
00:48She is the reason the message-slash-this movie is getting out.
00:52Were mistakes made? Yes. I make mistakes in life. But they aren't under a microscope.
00:57Anyway, I respect your views. I got nothing but love for you.
01:00Blake starred as Lily Bloom in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's 2016 book
01:05and also served as a producer.
01:06However, since the film's release on August 9, the actress has been criticized on social media
01:11for not being vocal enough about the story's sensitive topics of domestic abuse and toxic
01:16relationships, and instead focusing parts of the marketing campaign around the film's florals.
01:21She also faced backlash for her cross-promotion of her new hair care brand,
01:25Blake Brown, during the film's press run.
01:28In addition, rumors over a fallout with director and co-star Justin Baldoni ran rampant on the
01:32internet, with many pointing out how Baldoni was the only one to handle the sensitive topic
01:37with care and shine a light on the victims of domestic violence.
01:41For more on this story, head to THR.com.
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