Paul Feig has said it before and he’ll say it again: Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick are not feuding.
The director, who worked with the two actresses on the 2018 film A Simple Favor and the May sequel Another Simple Favor, has seen the speculation and rumors surrounding two of the film’s stars.
Time and time again, he makes it clear that there’s no drama between the pair.
“Any controversy is good. I’m always like, ‘No press is bad press,’” Feig shared on the Tuesday, April 29, episode of iHeartRadio’s “Amy & TJ” podcast. “But I just know these people, and I like these people so much that I work with that I want to defend them when somebody is just [telling] blatant lies. It makes me crazy.”
Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s dynamic has included both friendly banter and some not-so-serious shade. Lively and Kendrick briefly met before they first starred in A Simple Favor together which premiered in 2018. It wasn’t until their interactions during the 2018 promo sparked rumors of a possible feud, raising some proverbial eyebrows. Neither Kendrick nor […]
A source also exclusively told Us Weekly that there was no bad blood between the costars.
“There aren’t any issues between Blake and Anna right now,” the insider told Us in February, noting that both actresses “really love” the forthcoming sequel.
Both Lively and Kendrick have been outspoken about how much they enjoyed working with each other on the films.
Lively told Entertainment Tonight it was “the best” reuniting with her costar while Kendrick said “it was lovely” being able to participate in a sequel.
Nonetheless, Feig still finds himself trying his best to set the record straight on any and all false rumors. Keep reading to see what he’s said about working with Lively and Kendrick:
The Truth About SXSW Film Festival
When Lively stepped out at SXSW in March 2025, it marked her first solo appearance since the start of her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni.
At the time, YouTuber Melanie King alleged on X that Lively was “terrified to walk the carpet” at the new movie’s premiere because “Anna is pissed and never wants to work with her again.”
Feig responded on March 8 to the post by writing, “Um … you’re wrong.”
Backstage With Blake and Anna
While appearing on the April 29 episode of Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes’ podcast, Feig reiterated that there was no drama at SXSW.
“I’m in the back with Anna and Blake and then the rest of the cast, and we’re doing these videos together and they’re having the best time and they’re talking and laughing and all this stuff,” he said. “And then people are putting on the internet, ‘Oh, you know, Blake’s very mad at Anna.’ Guys, it’s not true! But they love to pit women against each other.”
Blake and Anna’s Chemistry Revealed
Feig invited fans to witness Lively and Kendrick’s undeniable chemistry when Another Simple Favor hits Amazon Prime Video on May 1.
“They’re so great in these movies,” he told People when asked about his coleads. “They just are so magical together. It’s crazy. I mean, we were [on] the third day of shooting. We had this scene with the two of them in a pool kind of drinking martinis and bonding, and we learned a lot about them during that scene. I shoot them both at the same time. My producing partner Laura Fischer and I were at the monitor just going like, ‘It’s crazy how their chemistry just is on fire on screen.’”
They’re Both Strong Women
Feig slammed rumors of discord while discussing the pool scene in Another Simple Favor.
“You can see how much Anna and Blake like and respect each other in that scene, and it’s why I get so angry at these made-up stories about them having some kind of onset feud,” he explained in the May 13 issue of the Women in Entertainment newsletter. “It’s pure misogyny, the idea that two strong women working together means they’ll be fighting and in conflict. It’s these kinds of false narratives perpetuated by people with no true knowledge of what’s actually going on behind the scenes that perpetuates these tired old stereotypes about women, and we need to put a stop to it once and for all.”
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