A journalist has revisited her “nightmare” interview with Blake Lively amid the controversy surrounding her new film It Ends With Us.
Fans on social media have recently criticised the actress for her “tone-deaf” approach to the film’s press tour, given that it is an adaption of Colleen Hoover’s novel about domestic violence and abuse.
Some have called out the Gossip Girl star for promoting It Ends With Us in a light-hearted nature, asking fans to “bring their florals” to screenings. She’s also received criticism for promoting her themed cocktail drinks, one of which is called “Ryle You Wait”, which is named after the abusive character.
Amid the criticism surrounding Lively, Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa posted a clip of a 2016 interview with the actress, which made her “want to quit” her job.
The interview was for the Woody Allen film Café Society. Lively was accompanied by her co-star Parker Posey.
Flaa began the interview by congratulating the actress on her “little bump”, referring to her second pregnancy with husband Ryan Reynolds.
In response, Lively sarcastically replied: “Congrats on your little bump.”
Speaking about Café Society, the journalist said she found it “visually amazing” and asked if Lively and Posey enjoyed the fashion, which played a big role in the 1930s-set film.
Ignoring Flaa, Lively turned to Posey and said: “Everyone wants to talk about the clothes, but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes.”
Flaa insisted that she “would” have asked the male actors the same question, but Lively seemed to ignore her as she continued to speak to Posey about the best outfits worn by the men in the film.
Lively concluded: “It’s not just the women that have the clothes, but I feel like the women get the conversation.”
Sharing the clip on YouTube, Flaa titled the video “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job”.
In the video description, she wrote: “Sitting down with Blake Lively and her co-star Parker Posey for Cafe Society (2016) is the most uncomfortable interview situation I have ever experienced.”
“Is it not OK to congratulate someone on their pregnancy or to ask another woman about costumes she is wearing in a film?” she said. “Let me know what you think in the comments.”
Many agreed with Flaa and commented on Lively’s apparent “rudeness” and “bullying” in the clip, which has been watched more than 723,000 times.
“Blake has mastered the whole making being passive aggressive sound like they’re being polite and enlightened,” commented one person.
Another wrote: “This is why I’m always saying women may not always be physical, but the psychological bullying is just as painful. Mean girls sometimes never grow up.”
While Lively has been criticised for her light-hearted nature during the press tour of her new film, the actress recently shared a post on Instagram drawing attention to domestic abuse.
In other news, Lively and Reynolds recently became the first married couple to top the box office since Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, thanks to the success of It Ends With Us and Deadpool & Wolverine.
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