It Ends With Us, Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Sklenar
Our mission is clear, folks. We must protect Ryan Reynolds, his mom, and Hugh Jackman at all costs, especially from the seemingly evil clutches of Blake Lively’s new It Ends With Us co-star, Brandon Sklenar. During a junket for the Justin Baldoni-directed romance drama, Sklenar got ambushed by Lively’s husband, Ryan, Ryan’s mom, Tammy, and Ryan’s best friend, Hugh Jackman. The trio grilled Sklenar about his behavior toward Blake on and off camera, playfully suggesting he’s too hot to be entirely on the up-and-up.
Sklenar and his carefully manicured beard quickly become defensive as Reynolds presents photographic evidence of Sklenar standing near Lively while wearing a pair of tight denim jeans with most of his left butt cheek exposed. While Ryan suspects the rip happened during an extreme squat session, Sklenar remains silent about his cake-baking secrets. The “interview” then leads to Ryan Reynolds admitting to having trouble with methamphetamines. Concerned, Sklenar wonders if Ryan needs help.
After Ryan and Brandon hug it out, Ryan’s mother, Tammy Reynolds, materializes as if from thin air. Protective of her son and daughter-in-law, Tammy begins questioning Brandon’s place in all their lives. The conversation quickly turns toward Tammy’s infatuation with Brandon’s good looks and how he’s inspired her to stop taking her blood pressure medication. Sadly, Ryan’s father passed away in 2015, leaving a vacancy in the family for someone to take up the role. Tammy and Ryan think Brandon would be a perfect fit, but Brandon has some reservations.
Finally, Hugh Jackman appears, ready to read Brandon the riot act. Jackman immediately accuses Sklenar of trying to replace Ryan as Blake’s husband, Tammy’s late husband, and Hugh as Ryan’s “best mate.” While not threatening Brandon directly, Hugh dances around the fact that he’s done many crazy and unpredictable things, and he’d hate for Brandon to learn more unwillingly. Sklenar responds by telling Hugh how much admiration he has for his career, but Jackman, stone-faced, isn’t having it.
The video interview ends with Ryan, Tammy, and Hugh gushing about Brandon, confessing to being hypnotized by his charms and rugged good looks. It’s all in good fun, of course. This brand of controlled chaos is what you get when your co-star is married to one of the funniest and most spontaneous people in Hollywood.
Adapted from the Colleen Hoover novel, It Ends With Us tells how Lily overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life. A chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection, but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship. Justin Baldoni, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, and Kevin McKidd star as primary cast members. It Ends With Us, starring Blake Lively and Brandon Sklenar, opens in theaters on August 9, 2024.