Blake Lively is adding yet another feud to an already tumultuous year as she gears up for her new film, Another Simple Favor.
The production sees the actress co-starring alongside Anna Kendrick, with rumors already brewing over the two “hating each other” while they prepare to collaborate for the sequel of their 2018 flick, A Simple Favor.
The speculation comes after months of controversy surrounding Lively and the bitter legal battle she waged against her It Ends With Us co-star, Justin Baldoni, whom she accused of sexual harassment and defamation.
Baldoni’s defense, on the other hand, dismissed the accusations, stating that the actress already had a tarnished reputation stemming from past media appearances and projects.
Rumors of a feud between Blake Lively and her A Simple Favor co-star, Anna Kendrick, resurfaced right after the actress’ legal battle with Justin Baldoni
Image credits: Steven Ferdman / Getty
One of such appearances, according to netizens, is a series of interviews in which Kendrick and Lively appear to be “icy” and uncomfortable around each other.
For instance, one viral interview sees Anna Kendrick mocking Lively, quipping that she hadn’t realized how difficult Blake’s life was.
“Oh muffin, it’s so hard being you!” she said snarkily, which was followed by Kendrick snapping, “Don’t touch me,” when Blake made a gesture toward her, leading to an uncomfortable silence.
Image credits: MTV News
During that same interview, Kendrick mentioned that she had met Lively through her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and that she “seemed nice” from afar. However, upon getting to work alongside her, the actress joked, “Little did I know.”
Image credits: MTV News
The atmosphere at the set got even more uncomfortable after Blake appeared to take offense at the interviewer focusing on Kendrick instead of her, asking, “What about me over here?”
“Oh my god, guys, don't fight just because I'm the best at everything,” Kendrick replied, jokingly.
An insider told a comedy podcast that the pair were at odds with each other, with the studio having to intervene
Image credits: MTV News
The rumor started shortly after the shooting of A Simple Favor wrapped. The Celebrity Memoir Book Club podcast, run by comedians Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, claimed that the actresses weren’t on speaking terms.
Image credits: MTV News
The comedians quoted a supposed “insider” who told them that “they hate each other” and that the studio had to go to great lengths to make it seem like they liked each other on press tours because their animosity was “starting to get obvious.”
Image credits: Karwai Tang / Getty
According to their source, the catalyst for their rough relationship was the competitiveness that Kendrick showed during filming and promotion.
At one point, according to the insider, Kendrick went as far as to ask the studio to “Photoshop her cleavage” in posters so that she looked bigger than Lively.
The actresses portray a complex relationship in A Simple Favor, with their characters exhibiting sexual tension throughout the film
Image credits: annakendrick47
Their tension was especially concerning, considering the romantic tension that exists between their characters in the movie.
The movie, labeled as a mystery-thriller with a mix of dark humor, explores the relationship between two women, Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) and Emily (Blake Lively), who develop a complex and intense bond that blurs traditional boundaries of friendship.
Image credits: blakelively
Lively’s character is a criminal, and throughout the movie, Kendrick’s character discovers she has murdered her sister, participated in insurance fraud, and used her sibling’s passing to fake her own.
At one point, Emily and Stephanie share a kiss, a scene that Kendrick described in an interview as simply part of the job, stating that “all I’m ever thinking about in [kissing] scenes is, who has gum? Who has a mint?”
“We were the mintiest, freshest two people to have ever kissed in the history of America,” she said at the time.
Netizens dismissed the rumors, with many chalking up the tension seen in interviews to the actresses' strong personalities
“Anna has a reputation for having a sharp tongue and makes no bones about it. It's her brand,” one said.
“Blake seems to have a snarky, ‘better than you’ attitude. If directors were smart, they would avoid getting involved with her for their own sake,” another stated.
“Disdain for her female co-stars seems to be a common theme for Blake. Unless the person is useful to her in some way. So done with this mean girl,” one reader wrote.
“Anna is also known to be difficult. She can stand on her own against Blake.”
Another Simple Favor is set to release for streaming on Amazon Prime Video on May 1, 2025.
"She needs to be canceled for good." Netizens took the chance to once again express their disdain for Blake Lively
