Paul Feig Dismisses Rumors of Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick Feud

<p data-start&equals;"71" data-end&equals;"326">Speculation about tension between Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick has been swirling&comma; but director Paul Feig is putting the rumors to rest&period; After claims surfaced that the two actresses had a strained relationship&comma; Feig stepped in to clarify the situation&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 data-start&equals;"328" data-end&equals;"360">Setting the Record Straight<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"362" data-end&equals;"687">The buzz started when YouTuber Melanie King posted on X&comma; formerly Twitter&comma; alleging that Lively was &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;terrified to walk the carpet” and that Kendrick &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;never wants to work with &lbrack;Lively&rsqb; again&period;” The post quickly gained traction&comma; fueling speculation about behind-the-scenes drama between the co-stars of <em data-start&equals;"662" data-end&equals;"684">Another Simple Favor<&sol;em>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"689" data-end&equals;"916">Feig&comma; who directed both the original 2018 film and its sequel&comma; didn&&num;8217&semi;t waste time shutting it down&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Um … you’re wrong&comma;” he responded bluntly&period; That simple statement was enough to dismiss the claims&comma; but Feig didn’t stop there&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"918" data-end&equals;"1170">He later attended a <em data-start&equals;"938" data-end&equals;"960">Another Simple Favor<&sol;em> Q&amp&semi;A session at the 2025 SXSW Film &amp&semi; TV Festival&comma; where Lively and Kendrick appeared together alongside other cast members&period; The event was a clear sign that the two stars were on good terms&comma; at least publicly&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"918" data-end&equals;"1170"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;theibulletin&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2025&sol;03&sol;Paul-Feig-Blake-Lively-Anna-Kendrick-SXSW-2025&period;jpg"><img class&equals;"aligncenter size-full wp-image-56833" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;theibulletin&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2025&sol;03&sol;Paul-Feig-Blake-Lively-Anna-Kendrick-SXSW-2025&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Paul Feig Blake Lively Anna Kendrick SXSW 2025" width&equals;"829" height&equals;"823" &sol;><&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 data-start&equals;"1172" data-end&equals;"1220">Blake Lively’s Big Return to the Red Carpet<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"1222" data-end&equals;"1472">Lively’s appearance at SXSW was particularly noteworthy&period; The <em data-start&equals;"1283" data-end&equals;"1296">Gossip Girl<&sol;em> alum had been keeping a relatively low profile when it came to red carpets&comma; especially following her legal battle with <em data-start&equals;"1416" data-end&equals;"1433">It Ends with Us<&sol;em> director and co-star Justin Baldoni&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"1474" data-end&equals;"1714">With <em data-start&equals;"1479" data-end&equals;"1501">Another Simple Favor<&sol;em> premiering at the festival&comma; this marked Lively’s first major film event in months&period; The actress&comma; known for her sharp wit and effortless style&comma; seemed at ease as she walked the carpet and participated in the Q&amp&semi;A&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"1716" data-end&equals;"1812">Despite all the noise online&comma; Lively and Kendrick showed no signs of tension during the event&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 data-start&equals;"1814" data-end&equals;"1861">What to Expect from <em data-start&equals;"1837" data-end&equals;"1859">Another Simple Favor<&sol;em><&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"1863" data-end&equals;"2156">The highly anticipated sequel to <em data-start&equals;"1896" data-end&equals;"1912">A Simple Favor<&sol;em> brings back the dark humor and mystery that made the first film a hit&period; This time&comma; the story follows Kendrick’s character&comma; Stephanie&comma; and Lively’s Emily as they travel to Capri&comma; Italy&comma; for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a wealthy businessman&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"2158" data-end&equals;"2365">The setting alone promises high fashion&comma; stunning scenery&comma; and plenty of drama&period; Fans of the original can expect more twists and turns&comma; along with the sharp dynamic between Kendrick and Lively’s characters&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"2367" data-end&equals;"2462">For those eager to watch&comma; the film will be available to stream on Prime Video starting May 1&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 data-start&equals;"2464" data-end&equals;"2501">Feig’s Direct Approach to Rumors<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"2503" data-end&equals;"2687">Feig has never been one to entertain baseless gossip&period; Over the years&comma; the <em data-start&equals;"2577" data-end&equals;"2582">Spy<&sol;em> and <em data-start&equals;"2587" data-end&equals;"2600">Bridesmaids<&sol;em> director has built a reputation for being candid and transparent about his projects&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"2689" data-end&equals;"2889">His one-sentence response to the rumors was classic Feig—direct&comma; no-nonsense&comma; and effective&period; By attending the festival alongside his cast&comma; he reinforced that there’s no real drama behind the scenes&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"2891" data-end&equals;"3017">With <em data-start&equals;"2896" data-end&equals;"2918">Another Simple Favor<&sol;em> just weeks away from release&comma; the focus is shifting back to what really matters—the film itself&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;