When I was invited to attend the premiere of A Simple Favour back in 2018, it was little more than another date in an ever-busy calendar of red carpets and glitz events.
But six and a half years down the line, the event has taken on a whole other meaning, thanks to a scandal that’s embroiled its stars Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick.
Ahead of a long-awaited sequel set to hit Prime Video in May, sources are claiming that despite painting the image of being best pals, behind the scenes they’ve clashed over the Gossip Girl star’s legal woes casting a shadow over the film.
Having arrived for the premiere at London’s BFI Southbank, I waited patiently while Blake, dressed in pastel pink flared suit and waistcoat, made her way along the line of journalists, who asked both her and Anna about their work on the film.
The picture had put women front and centre, focusing on the sudden disappearance of a woman named Emily Nelson, played by Blake, as her friend, Stephanie Smothers, played by Anne, sought to uncover the truth.
Given her much-publicised marriage to Ryan Reynolds, myself and other journalists were keen to ask Blake about that, and she happily answered that she hoped to take inspiration from her spouse with more comedic roles in the future.
When I was invited to attend the premiere of A Simple Favour, I never expected that Blake Lively’s comments about working with Anna Kendrick would take on such a different meaning
A sequel to the 2018 film (pictured) will be released in May, but sources are claiming that Blake and Anna have clashed over the Gossip Girl star’s legal woes casting a shadow over the film
Asked what it was like to team up with the actress, Blake (pictured at the premiere) quipped: ‘Horrible!’ before adding: ‘No we have so much fun together’
At the time, Ryan was one of Hollywood’s biggest box office draws thanks to his role in Deadpool, and even in 2025, this hasn’t changed.
However, while Blake did note that she hoped A Simple Favour would open up doors for more female-led films in the future, her words about working with Anna came as a surprise to me.
Asked what it was like to team up with the actress, then famed for her comedic chops in Pitch Perfect, Blake quipped: ‘Horrible!’ before adding: ‘No we have so much fun together.’
She went onto reveal that despite the large amount of screentime she and Anna share, they spent far less time together when the cameras weren’t rolling.
‘A lot of the time we spent hanging out together is actually on camera, there’s so much time in hair and makeup, and when we get on set we just get to relax.’
Anna added: ‘It was a nightmare I’m actually being held here against my will.
‘I couldn’t have asked for a better team, because the style is so unique, if it was a lesser crew I would have thought we were maybe making kind of a disaster so I’m very grateful.’
The comments seemed a step away from the show of sisterhood that the two stars had promoted through a string of red carpet photocalls and press junkets.
At the time, the Gossip Girl star also said that she and Anna didn’t spend much time together away from the cameras, due to the hours they spent in hair and makeup
And as the release date for the upcoming sequel looms, to me they’ve taken on a heightened meaning, alluding to frostier relations to the pair, and adding weight to claims that they ‘hated each other’ during filming.
Blake went onto say: ‘The film has done so well in the States which we’re really happy about, because everybody’s like ”OMG we just need to make more films about women”,’ she said.
‘It’s weird for me because some of my favourite films are about women – Whatever Happened To Baby Jane is one of my favourite movies ever made, and it’s kind of similar in tone to this film.
‘So film-making used to be like that in the 40s, with Bette Davies and Joan Crawford, and then it kind of petered out and became like men chasing each other around.’
Blake did then go onto dish on what it was like to play a more comedic role, revealing that being around husband Ryan ‘sharpens’ her comedy.
‘Getting to do a comedic part with Anna is just like I’m so excited. It’s incredibly intimidating, but heightened,’ she said.
‘So much fun and my husband comes from a comedy background, so just being with him sharpens my comedy, unlike any crash course I can take.’
While this interview has no doubt brought more attention to Anna and Blake’s relationship on-set, another such chat has also raised eyebrows online.
In another a video for MTV News, Anna seemed to mock Blake for not being as talented as she is.
She said: ‘I met [Blake] a few times through Ryan [Reynolds] on that film [The Voices] and you know, I thought she [Blake] seemed nice, but little did I know.’
While it all seems like a joke, Anna then snapped at Blake, ‘Don’t touch me’.
Following Anna’s sarcastic comments, the atmosphere between the duo quickly went cold as Blake brushed off her jokes with an awkward grin.
Anna also made comments about jealousy as Blake insisted she would ‘never be able to be a Disney Princess without Anna’s voice’.
In a mocking tone, Anna said: ‘Oh muffin, it’s so hard being you!’
Blake took a swipe at the interviewer later in the clip and appeared furious that he was directing the questions towards Anna and not her.
She fumed: ‘What about me over here?’
‘Oh my god, guys don’t fight just because I’m the best at everything,’ Anna quipped.
During the first film’s press tour, tension between the actresses was palpable in interviews as they made sarcastic jokes and comments about one another
Build-up to the sequel, titled Another Simple Favour, has been marred by Blake’s ongoing legal battle, after she sued Justin Baldoni for 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual harassment after they worked together on the set of It Ends With Us.
However, he has hit back with a $400m lawsuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, that accused her of using her celebrity power to hijack his film and attempt to torpedo his career.
Baldoni has denied the allegations from Lively, while Lively, Reynolds and Blake’s publicist Leslie Sloane have denied the accusations made by Baldoni.
Blake and Anna are just days away from beginning promotional duties for their sequel Another Simple Favour, which will be released on Prime Video on May 1, following its premiere at the SXSW Festival on March 7.
After Blake reportedly did little to address how her saga has tarnished the early reception to the new film, insiders have claimed Anna has been in talks with bosses about distancing herself from her co-star.
‘These movies are basically all Anna and Blake have in common,’ a source told DailyMail.com. ‘They have a working relationship, by no means a close friendship or bond.
‘Last-minute talks are underway with execs as Anna would prefer to distance herself from Blake going forward.
‘It was originally planned that the two would do much of the promotion together. That’s what the studio requested, and Anna and Blake agreed to it.
With Another Simple Favour (poster pictured) set to premiere at SXSW on March 7, sources are saying this could be Blake’s one and only appearance to promote the film
‘But Anna could go it alone over fears she will get caught up in the drama.’
Despite the fallout bleeding into the early promotion, Lively has reportedly done little to address the matter with the cast and crew.
‘There is a gigantic pink elephant in the room that no one is acknowledging,’ a source told DailyMail.com. ‘The backlash to initial promo has been brutal. There are people protesting and refusing to see it
The first teaser trailer for Another Simple Favour was released on Wednesday, after the poster was revealed earlier this month, along with the announcement that it will premiere on March 7 at the SXSW Film and TV Festival in Austin, Texas.
A second insider claimed Lively will most definitely attend the event, which may be her only promo for the movie.
‘Beyond this, Anna and the others do not anticipate any deep level of involvement,’ they said.
‘In fact, Anna is prepared to handle the promotion responsibilities alone. She would prefer this because she does not want to have to dodge questions about Blake’s lawsuit or have every interview turn into a Lively v Baldoni Q&A session.
‘Although Blake is obligated to promote the film, she retains the autonomy to determine the extent of her involvement beyond SXSW. They are now leaving this up to her to decide.’
The source added that her recent request for a one-month extension to file her amended complaint on February 10 was ‘advantageous’ as it could provide the ‘perfect scapegoat’ to avoid promotional work.
The positioning of Anna and Blake’s names on the poster also reportedly sparked a tussle between Kendrick and Lively over who should get top billing, with the former refusing to ‘bow to Blake’s demands’.
‘In the original film Anna got top billing over Blake,’ a second insider said. ‘She thought it was a no-brainer that the same would happen this time around. But Blake didn’t see it that way.
‘She fought, through her reps to get top billing over Anna, who refused to bow to Blake’s demands.
‘Finally, after weeks of negotiations a deal was struck between the actresses. They agreed on staggered billing, which meant Anna’s name would read first and Blake’s would be above hers but on the right-hand side. In the business that’s considered equal billing.’
Neither party was ‘thrilled’ with the outcome but reportedly accepted it because ‘they knew they needed to come to an agreement’.
The Celebrity Memoir Book Club podcast, run by New York City comedians Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton, claimed that the two women ‘were not speaking’ by the time shooting wrapped on A Simple Favour seven years ago.
The allegation came from an insider that claimed to work at the film’s studio.
‘They HATED each other. The studio even had to have a talk with them about making it look like they liked each other on press tours because it was starting to get obvious,’ the insider alleged.
The source claimed that ‘Anna in particular was really competitive with Blake and was constantly asking to make sure she got more promotion than Blake and even made us PHOTOSHOP HER CLEAVAGE in The Simple Favor poster to be as big (or bigger) than Blake’s.’
DailyMail.com has also reported that Lively has been given a private coach to ‘school her’ ahead of SXSW, and that executives are working with Feig, 62, to ensure everything centres on the movie and not her legal issues.
While director Paul Feig (pictured 2018) has hit back at comments Blake had any involvement in the sequel’s production, he failed to tag her while sharing a poster promoting the film
Kendrick received an outpouring of sympathy when she shared the promotional poster for their upcoming film last week – a stark contrast to the scathing comments targeted at Lively.
‘Did Ryan rewrite a scene?’ asked one user in reference to Baldoni’s claim that Lively rewrote a scene in It Ends with Us.
Another said: ‘Nope nope nope. Sorry Anna, will watch the next one. Not supporting this movie or anything with Blake Lively in it.’
A third echoed: ‘Love you Anna, but I can’t stand Blake more. Will not be watching this movie.’
Feig also posted the image, but unlike the original, he tagged everyone but Lively.
However, he did jump to her defence as he responded to one user: ‘It’s my cut. There is no other cut. Blake has been nothing but supportive and a dream to work with.
‘She is the best and an amazing collaborator and I’m her biggest fan. Just wanted to clear that up.’
