Summary
- The age difference between Blake Lively and Lily Bloom in It Ends With Us changes the dynamic of story.
- The cast of the movie is aged up from book characters, taking the story out of the YA genre.
- Blake Lively's portrayal as a 35-year-old Lily may enhance the connection between trauma and relationships.
Blake Lively may be the star of the Colleen Hoover movie adaptation, It Ends With Us, but her age is notably different from that of the main character she is portraying, Lily Bloom. It Ends With Us is a romantic drama based on a best-selling book by Colleen Hoover. The story follows Lily, a young woman who falls in love with a handsome surgeon named Ryle. However, over the course of their relationship, Lily begins to see parts of Ryle that are scary. Lily must break through her abusive past in order to end her abusive present.
Based on the book's popularity, it is no surprise that It Ends With Us is a highly-anticipated movie among readers and romance fans. It is even better that the movie is led by movie and TV star Blake Lively. The actress is well-known for her roles in Gossip Girl, The Age of Adaline, and A Simple Favor. She is also recognized for her long-time marriage to actor Ryan Reynolds. Despite her fame, Lively may not be the most accurate depiction of Lily Bloom. In fact, there is one significant difference between them that changes the entire dynamic of the story.
Related
Colleen Hoover's book has finally become a movie, and there are different options for where to watch It Ends With Us in theaters or on streaming.
Blake Lively Was 35 Years Old When She Filmed It Ends With Us
Lively Is Older Than Lily
The big difference between Blake Lively and her character Lily Bloom is that they are not the same age. While filming It Ends With Us, Lively was 35 years old. This is quite a significant difference from Lily, who was written to be 24. For context, when Lively was 24, she was still starring in Gossip Girl. She also played Carol in Green Lantern. In this way, Lively may have the physical appearance and personality fit for portraying Lily Bloom, but her age puts a notable wedge between herself and the character.
Lively isn't the only actor in the cast of It Ends With Us that is older than their character. While Lily's love interest, Ryle, is supposed to be 30 in the book, Justin Baldoni is a full decade older at 40-years-old. The same goes for Brandon Sklenar, who plays Atlas. Atlas is 27 in the book, but Sklenar is 34-years-old. Altogether, it seems that a concerted effort was made to age up all the characters from Hoover's novel. This difference will almost certainly affect the way the story is depicted, but in reality, it will actually make the movie better.
Blake Lively Is 12 Years Older Than Lily Bloom Was In The It Ends With Us Book
How The Age Difference Affects It Ends With Us
All in all, Blake Lively is a full 12 years older than Lily Bloom in It Ends With Us. This is a huge chunk of time. Individuals who are 24 are usually quite different from those who are 35. Where those in their 20s are typically still trying to figure out what they want, those in their 30s often have a better sense of where they are headed. Arguably, a woman in her 30s may be more confident and less likely to be manipulated. In this way, Lily's new age is undoubtedly going to change It Ends With Us.
In this way, the movie can make a stronger connection between Lily's relationship with Ryle and her childhood trauma.
The plot may stay the same, but Lively's age is going to affect how Lily's decisions come across. Lily will no longer be a naive 24-year-old, but a 35-year-old who is truly haunted by her past. Before, Lily's age definitely played a factor in her reluctance to leave Ryle, despite his abuse. At 24, she likely struggled to speak her mind or stand up for herself. However, now her age is a benefit. At 35, Lily is not as easily persuaded. In this way, the movie can make a stronger connection between Lily's relationship with Ryle and her childhood trauma.
Why It Ends With Us Cast Blake Lively & Made Lily Older
Colleen Hoover Regretted Lily's Age
Ultimately, the age disparity between Blake Lively and Lily Bloom was not an accident or coincidence. Both Colleen Hoover and It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni agreed that the movie should include an aged-up cast. Both parties had their own reasons for this change. First and foremost, Colleen Hoover told Today that she regretted making Lily so young, but had only done it because the New Adult book genre was popular at that time. Hoover cited that the character's ages didn't align with their lives, i.e. Ryle being a 30-year-old neurosurgeon.
Colleen Hoover has written a number of other popular books, including Ugly Love, Verity, Reminders of Him, and Slammed.
On the movie side, Justin Baldoni had a similar concern. According to Entertainment Weekly, he wanted to take It Ends With Us out of the young adult genre and make it relatable to any sort of woman. He felt that Lively could represent women of any age. Furthermore, Baldoni felt that the story he wanted to tell was more fit for an older woman than a 24-year-old. In the end, this casting change will certainly make waves in the It Ends With Us adaptation, but it will likely make the movie even better.
Source: Today, Entertainment Weekly
It Ends With Us
Drama
Romance
Based on Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel, It Ends With Us is a drama-romance film directed by Justin Baldoni. The film follows a recent college graduate named Lily, who meets a man named Ryle and falls in love with him. However, a traumatic incident compounded with her former high-school sweetheart re-entering her life complicates her plans.
- Director
- Justin Baldoni
- Release Date
- August 9, 2024
- Writers
- Christy Hall , Colleen Hoover
- Cast
- Blake Lively , Justin Baldoni , Brandon Sklenar , Jenny Slate , Hasan Minhaj
- Studio(s)
- Columbia Pictures , Wayfarer Studios , Saks Picture Company
- Distributor(s)
- Sony Pictures Releasing
- Runtime
- 130 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Romance
