'It Ends With Us' Star Justin Baldoni Hopes Romantic Film Can Create Change: 'We Need to End the Cycle'

The highly anticipated film “It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, shines a spotlight on domestic violence.

The film follows Lily, a florist played by Blake Lively, who pursues her dream of opening her own shop. Co-star and director Justin Baldoni plays Ryle, a neurosurgeon who seems like a nice guy but turns violent. Baldoni didn't intend to be in the film, but it was an email from Hoover that encouraged him to accept the role of Ryle.

“I was looking for films that could be commercial and speak to the human experience,” he said. “I had never read a romance novel. By the end of the book, I couldn’t even read the text on the page because I was crying so much.”

Baldoni said Hoover's novel, which has sold 6 million copies, was inspired by his mother, who had a similar real-life experience as a survivor of domestic violence.

“Her name was Lily Bloom and I thought if it could affect me that way, I can only imagine what it could do to women and people in this situation all over the world,” he said. “We all have a situation or a pattern that we need to break the cycle of.”

He hopes the film will help create change. Too often, Baldoni said, people ask “why did she stay?” about a woman in an abusive relationship, whether in real life, in a book or in a movie.

“We have to ask ourselves why men hurt. That’s what struck me the most. I learned more and more that these women who live this every day are bearers of true love. They have charm, charisma, passion, and believe that they can improve, but it’s not that simple.”

He worked with an organization called No More that is dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence, with the goal of creating an honest reflection on what women experience.

Baldoni hopes “It Ends With Us,” which premiered Tuesday, will help create a safer world through compassion and empathy. He said he hopes men will go see the romantic film and take responsibility for their lives after watching it.

“I want men to go to the theater and see, in a way, a version of themselves. You have two very different characters. In Atlas and Ryle, both of them have past trauma,” he said. “One deals with things very differently than the other, and my other hope is that men who haven’t done the work, who haven’t done the work to heal, if they see pieces of themselves in Ryle, have a chance to step back and say, ‘You know what, I don’t want to waste my life. I don’t want to hurt the person I love the most.’”

This story raises issues related to domestic violence. If you need help or would like to learn more about how to help others, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE, text “START” to 88788, or visit thehotline.org.

More from Kelsie Hoffman

Kelsie Hoffman is the editor of campaigns and platforms on the Growth and Engagement team at CBS News. She previously worked on the National Desk at Hearst Television and as a local television reporter in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

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