Brandon Sklenar recalled inadvertently getting stuck in the midst of his It Ends With Us costars Justin Baldoni and Blake Full of life’s lawsuit — and the way it led to him receiving frightening online hate.
“There was a giant learning curve for me because though I had a small part within the film, my visibility shot through the roof,” Sklenar, who played Atlas Corrigan within the 2024 film, told The Hollywood Reporter in a profile published on Wednesday, December 17.
The actor, 35, recalled posting an Instagram statement in the course of the August 2024 press tour asking for fans to be kinder.
“Colleen [Hoover] and the ladies of this forged stand for hope, perseverance, and for ladies selecting a greater life for themselves,” Sklener wrote on the time. “Vilifying the ladies who put a lot of their heart and soul into making this film because they imagine so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about.”
He identified: “It’s, actually, the alternative of the purpose. What may or may not have happened behind the scenes doesn’t and hopefully shouldn’t detract from what our intentions were in making this film. It’s been disheartening to see the quantity of negativity being projected online.”
Sklener asked his followers on the time that “before you spread hate on the web, ask yourself who its helping. Ask yourself in case your opinions are based in any fact. Or when you simply need to be a part of something. Let’s be a part of something higher together. A component of a brand new story being written for ladies and all people in every single place.”
His efforts to spread positivity backfired quickly.
“I wasn’t damning anybody, but I used to be similar to, ‘Can we concentrate on the ethos of this whole f***ing movie and never be so hateful to anybody?’” Sklenar said during THR interview, referring to the movie’s themes of domestic abuse and getting out of a toxic relationship. “I assumed it was a pleasant thing to say, but apparently lots of people didn’t feel that way.”
Brandon Sklenar doesn’t have much to say concerning the drama surrounding It Ends With Us, but he hopes viewers don’t forget the film’s deeper meaning. “It’s a troublesome situation,” Skelnar, 34, told The Hollywood Reporter while walking the Vanity Fair Oscars Party red carpet on Sunday, March 2. “I just hope everyone remembers what the […]
Sklenar claimed the backlash was almost instantaneous, with people telling him, “‘You’re a bit of s***,’ ‘I hope you die,’ ‘I hope your profession ends,’ things like that.”
The 1923 alum noted that his agent begged him to remain offline amid Full of life and Baldoni’s public feud, but Sklenar said it was hard to disregard all of the chatter.
“Imagine you’re walking down a hallway and there’s a door to a room filled with 100,000 people and so they’re all saying something about you,” Sklenar said. “You tell me you’re not going to place your ear to the door?”
Blake Full of life and Brandon Sklenar. Jojo Whilden/Sony Pictures Releasing/Everett Collection
It Ends With Us, which is the primary book in Hoover’s two-part series adapted for film, was highly anticipated by readers and moviegoers alike. Nevertheless, it was what happened behind the scenes that has since made it so infamous.
Full of life, who served as a producer and was the leading lady, accused director and costar Baldoni of sexual harassment following the movie’s release, filing a lawsuit against him in December 2024. (Full of life played Lily Bloom, while Baldoni portrayed her abusive partner Ryle Kincaid.)
Baldoni denied the allegations and filed a countersuit in January, asking for $400 million in damages.
After trading public jabs and allegations for months, a judge dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit against Full of life. The unique lawsuit continues to be ongoing with a trial set to happen in Recent York in March 2026.
Brandon Sklenar has publicly supported It Ends With Us costar Blake Full of life amid her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni. Sklenar, 34, reposted the Recent York Times article that broke the news of Full of life’s allegations against Baldoni, 40, via his Instagram Story on Monday, December 23. He titled the link to the story, “For the Love of […]
Full of life’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, and friend Taylor Swift are amongst those that’ve been dragged into the scandal along the best way.
The fury around Sklenar’s request for kindness and his connection to the It Ends With Us lawsuit, nevertheless, has settled down and he’s gone on to land one hit role after one other.
After starring in 2025’s Drop alongside Meghann Fahy, Sklenar teamed up with Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney for The Housemaid, which hits theaters this week.
While working on The Housemaid, Sklenar said he bonded with Sweeney, 29, over their shared experience of unwanted attention — just like the drama surrounding It Ends With Us.
“Sydney’s been through her justifiable share [with that],” Sklenar told THR. “And we’ve spoken a bit about it. You actually just need to block it out and never let it in.”
Sweeney, 29, got here under fire over the summer for her American Eagle jeans ad, which some claimed was promoting eugenics resulting from its slogan, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” (Eugenics is a widely discredited belief that goals to enhance human genetics — on this case the allegation that the brand swapped “jeans” for “genes” — and is usually related to white supremacy.)
American Eagle and Sweeney denied the allegations. “I used to be truthfully surprised by the response. I did it because I really like the jeans and love the brand,” Sweeney told People earlier this month.
The Euphoria alum noted, “I don’t support the views some people selected to connect with the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m at all times attempting to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness.”