Anna Kendrick had absolutely nothing to say about reuniting with Blake Lively for Another Simple Favor at the film’s SXSW premiere in Austin on Friday—despite being asked directly.
On the red carpet, a smiling Kendrick was questioned about re-teaming with Lively on the sequel to their 2018 film A Simple Favor, and responded with a deadpan, “Oh, you know,” before quickly moving on to take selfies with fans.
There was no elaboration—Kendrick left it at those three words and turned her back. If there was any apprehension on Kendrick’s part, she wasn’t about to acknowledge it.
The Oscar nominee deflected further when asked how “the state of the world”—seemingly an allusion to Lively’s ongoing legal battle with her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni—had impacted their new film’s release. “Why, what happened?” Kendrick quipped. “I did ayahuasca and the last year of my life is just gone.”
Kendrick might be blissfully unaware of the headlines surrounding her co-star, but director Paul Feig is all too familiar. In January, he was forced to respond to a viral tweet suggesting that Another Simple Favor had been shelved due to Lively’s “refusal to promote it” as a result of her looming court case with Baldoni. “This is total BS,” Feig responded on X (formerly Twitter). “The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don’t believe anything you read on social media these days.”
The premiere of Another Simple Favor comes as the much-publicized legal battle between Lively and Baldoni intensifies. In December, Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department alleging that Baldoni created a hostile work environment on set by making inappropriate comments, including unsolicited sexual remarks. In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloan, accusing them of attempting to destroy his career through false allegations.
Still, if Kendrick had any thoughts on the matter, she wasn’t sharing. Her SXSW appearance suggested she’s keeping a firm boundary between herself and the gossip mill.
Another Simple Favor finds Emily Nelson (Lively) inviting Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) to her lavish wedding in Capri, Italy, where the event spirals out of control. Another Simple Favor debuts on Prime Video on May 1, 2025.
