Jana Kramer is chiming in on Blake Lively’s unconventional promotional tactics for her latest film, It Ends With Us. The movie’s got a serious plotline about domestic violence, but Blake’s take on it has more fluff than a marshmallow factory.
Blake’s grand philosophy, as she told BBC News, is that her character Lilly Bloom isn’t defined by her domestic violence struggles. “She defines herself, and that’s like super empowering,” Blake said, likely with a sparkling smile. “No experience can define you. You define you.” Well, that’s one way to turn a heavy topic into a motivational speech!
Jana Kramer, who’s had her own rollercoaster with domestic violence, isn’t exactly throwing confetti at this approach. On her Whine Down podcast, she let it rip: “I’d prefer if the media could focus on domestic violence itself rather than all the drama around interviews. The movie’s about domestic violence!” Jana confessed she thought It Ends With Us was a rom-com from the promo materials. Imagine her surprise when she learned it wasn’t a feel-good love story but a serious drama.
“I was like, ‘Oh great, another movie about domestic violence but with a side of existential pep talk?’” she said, clearly unimpressed. “I haven’t watched it because, honestly, it’s tough for me to dive into movies about domestic violence given my history.”
Jana added, “It’s like people who’ve never had a bad hair day trying to tell you that it’s just hair and doesn’t matter. Sure, it doesn’t matter to you if you’ve never had to deal with it. For me, domestic violence is like a recurring guest at my life party. It’s a huge part of who I am, whether people want to admit it or not.”
Blake’s empowering pep talk might be great for a self-help book, but Jana’s looking for a bit more grit and less glitter when it comes to addressing the realities of domestic violence.