Blake Lively has put her heart and soul into her latest project It Ends With Us, a film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel of the same name.
On set, Blake – who stars as lead character Lily Bloom– not only made sure that the film stayed true to the author's vision, but she also took control of looking after her cast, which included Isabela Ferrer and Alex Neustaedter, who play the younger versions of Lily and Atlas Corrigan.
Speaking exclusively to HELLO! at the London premiere on August 8, Isabela, 24, said that Blake regularly cooked for the cast – and specifically it was "mainly cookies and pop tarts!"
Blake is known for her love of cooking – it is what helped her bond with BFF Taylor Swift over a decade ago – and she formerly had her own lifestyle brand Preserve.
The decision to allow Blake to be fully involved in all parts of the production allowed her to "feel completely free and authentic in that versus feeling like I had to pretend and feel something that didn’t feel natural and innate to me," she told HELLO!
"Because I was able to have such authorship – which I’m so grateful for — it allowed me to step into the character with ease because I really felt like I understood what she’d look like, what she’d dress like, what her space would be like, what words she’d be saying, how she’d be interacting, what her relationships would be like, the questions that came up, where are the jealousies coming from, the shames, the guilt, the fears."
Isabela grew up in New York City, and she told HELLO! that she recognized the "feistiness" to the young version of Lily that she saw in herself.
"I feel like because I grew up in New York I’m a little bit fiery too, especially the bus scene. Whenever I was doing that I felt like this was me when I was in middle school, or in high school, and something rubbed me the wrong way and I was like, 'You know what I gotta fix this'."
It Ends With Us follows protagonist Lily as she navigates her past and present relationships.
"A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ relationship. When Lily's first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle is upended, and Lily realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future," the synopsis reads.
Justin also directed the movie from a script by Christy Hall.
It Ends With Us is out in cinemas on August 9.
Additional reporting by Alex Lilly.