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Brandon Sklenar has commented on the criticism surrounding “It Ends With Us” on Instagram.
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In his statement, Sklenar condemned people for “denigrating” the women featured in the film.
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Sklenar is the first cast member to speak out about the film’s controversies.
As reactions to “It Ends With Us” grow increasingly fierce, actor Brandon Sklenar defends the film on Instagram.
“I wanted to take a minute and address all the stuff that’s going around on the internet,” he wrote in a post on Tuesday.
“Colleen and the women in this cast represent hope, perseverance and women choosing to live a better life. To denigrate the women who put so much heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and distracts from what this film is about.”
Adapted from a book by Colleen Hoover, “It Ends With Us” is a romantic drama about domestic violence. It stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who also directed it.
During the film’s press tour, fans speculated that there was a dispute between Lively and Baldoni, as Baldoni was mostly absent from press events with the other cast members.
Fans also criticized Lively for her lighthearted approach to promoting the film, even though domestic violence is a strong theme.
Criticism intensified after journalist Kjersti Flaan published an excerpt from an interview with Blake Lively on August 10, titled “The Blake Lively Interview That Made Me Want to Quit My Job.”
Sklenar plays Atlas Corrigan, the childhood friend and first love of Lily Bloom, played by Lively. He is the first cast member to speak out about the controversy.
In his post, he wrote that “someone very close to me” struggled with a relationship very similar to Lively’s character. “She says Colleen’s book and later this movie saved her life,” he wrote.
“This film is meant to inspire. It is meant to affirm and acknowledge,” he wrote. “It is not about portraying women as ‘villains’ again. Let’s get past this together.”
He ended his post by asking his fans to stop posting hate comments online. “Let’s be part of something better together. Part of a new story being written for women and all people everywhere.”
A representative for Sklenar did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment outside of regular business hours.
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