“It’s important to let people know…”: Reporter From Blake Lively’s ‘Café Society’ Interview Denies Connection to Justin Baldoni, Says Tape’s Release Was a “coincidence”
- Blake Lively faces controversy over a rift with Justin Baldoni and promotion issues.
- An old interview has resurfaced, causing rumors, but the journalist denied any targeted intent.
- The reporter clarified that she didn’t share the interview because of current drama.
Blake Lively has found herself at the center of controversy lately. Rumors about a rift between her and co-star Justin Baldoni on the set of their new film It Ends With Us have been swirling.
There are claims that Lively and director Baldoni didn’t get along well, with some saying Baldoni made hurtful comments about her weight. At the same time, Lively has been criticized for promoting the film in a way that doesn’t match its serious tone.
Now, an interview from eight years ago has resurfaced, which is adding fuel to the fire. This interview, however, appears to be entirely unrelated to the current situation, according to the journalist who conducted it.
Blake Lively’s Old Tense Interview Back in the Spotlight
Journalist Kjersti Flaa made headlines this week after uploading a clip of her 2016 interview with Blake Lively and her co-star Parker Posey. Flaa described the interview, where they promoted their movie Cafe Society, as “the most uncomfortable situation” she’s ever faced.
The four-minute long clip (which she posted on her YouTube channel), called The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job, has racked up millions of views. In it, Flaa appears to congratulate then pregnant Lively by saying “congrats on your little bump” to which the actress responds with a repeated, somewhat dismissive reply.
The interview continued with Flaa asking about the costumes in the film. This led Lively to question why such questions aren’t directed at male co-stars as well. The Norwegian-born claimed she would ask the same questions of male actors too. Flaa later told DailyMail.com about Lively’s initial response:
[Her comment] left me almost paralyzed. To be honest it hurts because I obviously wasn’t pregnant and I could never get pregnant so to me that comment was like a bullet. I didn’t know how to react.
The journalist’s comment is notable because some believe the tape’s release—coinciding with Lively and Justin Baldoni’s drama—might be a smear campaign by the actor-director, especially since he hired Johnny Depp‘s PR rep. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Melissa Nathan, the veteran PR crisis manager, was Depp’s PR representative during the Amber Heard trial. However, Flaa denies any link to Baldoni.
The Journalist Denied Targeting Blake Lively with The Interview
Kjersti Flaa has since clarified that she released the interview not to target Blake Lively. Instead, a recent discussion with another journalist about a confiscated interview made her want to share her own experience. She said in a clip posted by TMZ on YouTube:
I felt, you know, in that situation, a little ashamed at first as I didn’t know what happened. I didn’t know what I said that was so bad that made her and Parker [Posey] behave like that. I think it’s important to let people know that these things go on sometimes and maybe it [will] help or prevent it from happening again.
Flaa maintained that she was unaware of the current controversy surrounding the two stars. According to Newsweek, the journalist said she’d only watched It Ends With Us but “had no idea about all the other stuff” and “can’t really comment on it” as she wasn’t a part of it.
It Ends With Us is currently screening in theatres.
