“Why, what happened?”—Anna Kendrick dodges questions about Another Simple Favor co-star Blake Lively's legal drama

Blake Lively, along with seemingly anyone that enters her orbit by proxy, has been enshrouded in the drama resulting from her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni since the feud reached a boiling point. The latest victim of the trial-related shrapnel is none other than Anna Kendrick, her Another Simple Favor co-star.

Kendrick was approached at the premiere of Another Simple Favor, and while pressed to give her take on Lively’s pending legal situation, Kendrick refused to share any sort of perspective. Instead, the bubbly Pitch Perfect starlet shot down the question with humor and grace before continuing to enjoy the star-studded event with her cast and crew.

When Anna stepped in for the premiere of Another Simple Favor on March 7, 2025. A reporter asked her a question that alluded to the dispute going on in her costar's life. But Anna did not hesitate to sidestep this question. She asked,

“Why, what happened?”

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Kendrick’s response to questions about Blake

At the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival premiere for Another Simple Favor, reporters attempted to press Lively’s co-stars for information or opinions about the Baldoni case, but her co-stars managed to avoid any questions masterfully. The most glaring example, though, was Kendrick, who handled the interaction with a keenly prodding member of the press flawlessly.

While walking the red carpet, a Variety reporter asked Kendrick,

“How does it feel like the movie is being impacted kind of by everything happening around going on in the world?”

When reading between the lines, it becomes apparent that this was clearly a nod to Lively’s very public and equally divisive legal proceedings, scheduled to begin trial in March 2026 as of the most recent reports via E! Online. Kendrick was wise to where this was headed and provided a perfect tongue-in-cheek response.

“Why, what happened? I did Ayahuasca in the last year of my life is just gone, but I've heard the movie is amazing"

It is notable that when sharing the film’s first official poster via social media back in February, many users commented on Lively’s legal situation and not the movie, which apparently perturbed Kendrick.

A source even told People Magazine that Kendrick is "not used to being caught up in any drama.” The unnamed insider then went on to speculate that

"The comments on Instagram have upset her, especially the ones saying fans are now refusing to watch the movie because they don’t want to support Blake."

That being said, while none of this can be fully corroborated, another insider told People Magazine that

"There is no feud. The film is in the early stages of planning what press will look like, and Blake and Anna will be doing some things together."

Regardless of Anna’s views on Blake’s case, it seems that her priority is their joint project, and she is keeping that the focus of her comments and interactions with the press.

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More about Another Simple Favor

Kendrick and Lively reunited with director Paul Feig for this follow-up to their 2018 hit A Simple Favor. The gripping synopsis reads as follows,

“Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) reunite on the beautiful island of Capri, Italy for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square.”

On the reunion, the elated director shared with People Magazine that working on the sequel was a blast.

"I mean, I had such a great experience on the first one. It always kind of stuck with me. God, I love working with the two of them, as well as the rest of the cast"

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This was Blake’s first public appearance since SNL 50 earlier this year on February 16, where her legal case was also jokingly referenced.