The internet has a funny way of making everything feel like a high-stakes crime drama. Lately, if you’ve spent any time on TikTok or X, you’ve probably seen clips of an Anna Kendrick Blake Lively interview that look... well, tense. It’s usually a snippet from the Another Simple Favor press tour, where Anna gives a dry, one-word answer and Blake looks like she’d rather be anywhere else. People are obsessed. They want to know if these two actually hate each other or if we’re all just projecting.
Honestly, it’s complicated. Hollywood feuds are rarely as simple as "she said, she said." Usually, it's a mix of clashing personalities, massive PR pressure, and the weird energy that happens when you're forced to spend 14 hours a day with a coworker you don't necessarily hang out with on weekends.
The "Oh, You Know" Heard 'Round the World
It started at the SXSW premiere in March 2025. A reporter from Entertainment Tonight caught Anna Kendrick on the red carpet and asked the most basic question imaginable: "What does it mean to be working with Blake Lively again?"
Anna didn’t give the usual PR-approved "she’s a dream" speech. Instead, she just said, "Oh, you know," and kept walking.
Two words. That’s all it took. Within hours, the clip was everywhere. Some fans called it "queen behavior," while others saw it as a massive red flag. When you compare it to Blake’s response to a similar question—where she called working with Anna "the best"—the contrast is pretty jarring. But here’s the thing: Anna was also seen struggling with fans' phone cameras and looking generally stressed that night. Context matters.
Why the rumors won't die
The tension isn't just about one awkward red carpet moment. There’s a whole history here.
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- The Taylor Swift Factor: Rumors trace back to a 2016 interview where Anna joked about not being "perfect Miss America" like Taylor Swift. Since Blake is famously part of Taylor’s inner circle, people assumed there was beef.
- The Ayahuasca Comment: At that same 2025 premiere, a Variety reporter asked how the movie was being impacted by "everything going on in the world"—a thinly veiled reference to Blake's legal battle with Justin Baldoni. Anna’s response? "I did ayahuasca and the last year of my life has been gone." It was a joke, but a sharp one.
- The "Cleavage" Drama: A rumored crew member once claimed on a podcast that Anna was so competitive during the first movie that she asked for her cleavage to be photoshopped on posters to match Blake’s. Is it true? Who knows. But it adds fuel to the fire.
Director Paul Feig vs. The Internet
If you ask Paul Feig, the director of both films, the whole "Anna Kendrick Blake Lively interview" drama is a complete fabrication. He’s been very vocal on social media, calling the feud rumors "total BS."
He’s in a tough spot. He has a movie to sell, and Another Simple Favor (the sequel) is a massive project for Amazon Prime Video. If the two leads can't stand each other, it makes the press tour a nightmare. Feig insists the chemistry is just as good as it was in 2018.
But then you look at the London photocall from April 2025. Body language experts (yes, that’s a real job people have) pointed out that the two stars stood at "rigid-looking angles" and barely made eye contact. Blake was doing the "heavy lifting" of looking happy, while Anna looked like she was counting the minutes until she could leave.
Is it a feud or just "work"?
We often forget that actors are coworkers. I’ve had jobs where I worked brilliantly with people I wouldn't grab a drink with after 5 PM. Anna and Blake have very different vibes. Anna is known for a dry, almost cynical humor. Blake is the "Golden Girl" of Hollywood. Sometimes those two energies just don't click, and when you put them in a high-pressure Anna Kendrick Blake Lively interview setting, the cracks show.
The Justin Baldoni Shadow
You can't talk about Blake Lively in 2025 and 2026 without mentioning the It Ends With Us fallout. Her legal battle with Justin Baldoni has cast a huge shadow over everything she does. There are reports that Anna Kendrick was actually "upset" that this drama was overshadowing their movie.
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Think about it. You work hard on a sequel for years, and all anyone wants to talk about is your costar’s lawsuit and "mean girl" allegations. It would be annoying for anyone. This might explain why Anna’s responses in recent interviews have been so guarded. She’s trying to stay out of the blast radius.
What's actually true?
Let's look at what we actually know for sure, stripped of the TikTok edits and dramatic music.
- They are professional: They finished the sequel. They showed up to the premieres. They did the photoshoots.
- They aren't besties: Anna herself has said they live on opposite coasts and don't see each other often.
- The humor is sharp: Both women use sarcasm as a primary language. What looks like a "dig" to an outsider might just be how they talk.
There was a moment in an old MTV interview where Blake muttered "she's so stupid" while Anna talked about Harry Potter. In a close friendship, that's a joke. In a fractured one, it's an insult. Without being in the room, we're all just guessing.
Real Talk: How to spot a PR stunt
Sometimes, "feuds" are manufactured to get people talking. The original A Simple Favor thrived on the dark, competitive chemistry between the two leads. It wouldn't be the first time a studio leaned into "on-set tension" to drum up interest for a thriller. If people are arguing about whether you hate each other, they're still talking about your movie.
Navigating the hype
If you're following the Anna Kendrick Blake Lively interview saga, it’s worth taking everything with a grain of salt. Social media thrives on conflict. A three-second clip of someone looking tired can be edited to look like a declaration of war.
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If you want to see the "real" dynamic, watch the full-length press junkets rather than the 15-second clips on your "For You" page. You'll often see that for every "icy" moment, there are ten minutes of standard, boring professional conversation.
To get the most accurate picture of their relationship, look at these specific sources:
- The full 2025 SXSW Q&A session (where they actually laugh together about filming in Capri).
- Anna Kendrick’s October 2024 interview with PEOPLE where she calls the experience "lovely."
- Paul Feig’s verified X (Twitter) account for direct denials of the "shelved movie" rumors.
Focus on the work itself. The "weird chemistry" Anna mentioned is exactly why the first movie worked. Whether they like each other or not, they’re a powerhouse duo on screen, and that’s ultimately what we’re paying to see.
Check the official release dates for Another Simple Favor on Prime Video to see if the off-screen energy translated into the final cut. Watching the film with the "feud" context in mind actually makes the viewing experience a lot more interesting—you'll find yourself searching for those moments of genuine (or forced) connection between Stephanie and Emily.