Anna Kendrick has fueled Blake Lively feud rumors after her tense three-word response at the pair’s film premiere.
The 39-year-old actress and Lively, 37, have come together once again for the sequel to their 2018 crime-comedy thriller, A Simple Favor.
The highly anticipated follow-up, Another Simple Favor, made its debut at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, on Friday (March 7).
Both stars walked the red carpet, with Lively making an appearance despite being embroiled in an ongoing legal battle with director Justin Baldoni.
The Pitch Perfect star has sparked speculation of a rift between her and her co-star Lively after her less-than-enthusiastic reaction at the premiere.
When asked about reuniting with her co-star after seven years, Kendrick simply responded, “Oh, you know…” before walking away.
Her curt reply sharply contrasted with Lively’s upbeat response to the same question. “Oh, it’s the best, I’m so happy,” Lively gushed, exuding excitement.
The noticeable difference between their answers did not go unnoticed by fans, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts.
“I’m having so much uncomfortableness,” one user wrote. Another speculated about behind-the-scenes tension, saying: “Haha, sounds like there’s some funny behind-the-scenes moments.”
A third posted: “Lmfao it must be killing her to fake it and be on her best behavior.”
Reports of a rift between the actresses first surfaced last month, with sources claiming the Woman of the Hour star was frustrated that the film was overshadowed by Lively’s ongoing legal drama.
Lively accused her It Ends With Us co-star/director of sexual harassment, alleging that he fat-shamed her, showed her inappropriate images, and launched a smear campaign against her.
The 41-year-old actor has since hit back with a $400 million countersuit, claiming that Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, tried to “destroy” his career.
A source told Daily Mail that tensions over the lawsuit have spilled over into Lively’s latest project, creating a “gigantic pink elephant in the room that no one is acknowledging”.
“The backlash to initial promo has been brutal. There are people protesting and refusing to see it,” the source revealed. “Blake has not addressed this. She has not called the cast to apologise. She has not done anything like that. She has stayed quiet and hidden away.”
“She owes Anna an apology. She owes them all an apology,” the source continued, adding that Kendrick is fed up with the situation: “Anna is just over all of it. If Anna was in this position, she would not be letting the film take the fall for her own personal issues.”
Beyond the legal controversy, Kendrick and Lively have reportedly clashed over top billing on the sequel’s poster.
“In the original film, Anna got top billing over Blake,” an insider claimed to the outlet. “She thought it was a no-brainer that the same would happen this time around. But Blake didn’t see it that way. She fought, through her reps, to get top billing over Anna, who refused to bow to Blake’s demands.”
To settle the dispute, a compromise was reached: Lively’s name appears first but in a smaller font on the right-hand side.