‘It Ends With Us’ Cast and Character Guide | Photos

The highly anticipated film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s “ It Ends With Us ” hits theaters with a star-studded cast.

After initial announcements of Blake Lively playing the 23-year-old Lily Bloom, fans of the book weren’t convinced that Justin Baldoni’s adaptation would live up to the hype. Baldoni, who plays Lily’s love interest, Ryle, also directed and produced the film with his production company Wayfarer.

Both Hoover and Baldoni publicly stated that it was a joint decision to age up the characters, and one they hoped would make the story of domestic violence more universally accessible to a greater range of women.

“When we chose to partner with Sony and turn this into a major motion picture, obviously you need a movie star, [Lively] was one of the first names that was brought up, and all of us got very excited by the idea,” Baldoni told TheWrap about his casting choice for his protagonist. “Blake is beloved, and she represents aspirational sweetness – something that so many women look up to. And I really wanted Lily to be approachable and liked. I wanted us to root for her, and Blake is someone that you root for in that way.”

The rest of the cast includes Jenny Slate and Hasan Minhaj as a welcome comedic relief, along with some newcomers to play the younger versions of Lily and Atlas. Baldoni and his casting team put out a nationwide search for their young Lily, specifically someone who could match Lively to a tee.

Baldoni, an admitted fan of Easter eggs, even included a couple of cameos from friends and family. Check out a complete guide to the “It Ends With Us” cast below.

Blake Lively as Lily Bloom

Lily Blossom Bloom (yes, that is her real name) moves to Boston with a dream of starting her own flower shop. Following the death of her father, Lily enters this new chapter in her life a little jaded and unintentionally finds herself in a love triangle she never asked for.

Lively stars as the florist and is best known for her role as Upper East Sider Serena van der Woodsen in “Gossip Girl.” The star also made a cameo in her husband’s blockbuster hit “Deadpool & Wolverine” as Lady Deadpool . Lively has also appeared in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” “A Simple Favor” and “The Shallows.”

Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid

Ryle, a top neurosurgeon in Boston, stumbles upon Lily Bloom one night on his rooftop and cannot get her out of his head. The seemingly perfect guy comes with his own secrets and dark past. He pines after Lily even though they agreed to be “just friends.”

Baldoni directed, starred and executive produced “It Ends With Us” with his production company Wayfarer Studios. He bought the rights to the movie from author Colleen Hoover in 2018 long before the dark romance novel got traction on BookTok. Baldoni is best known for his role as Rafael in “Jane the Virgin.” He also produced and directed “Five Feet Apart” and “Clouds.”

Brandon Sklenar as Atlas Corrigan

Atlas was Lily’s first love . Now, she and the “homeless guy she lost her virginity to” are both living in Boston, pursuing their dreams—Lily as a florist and Atlas as a restauranteur. Even after a decade of not seeing each other, the connection and shared trauma between the two are undeniable.

Sklenar is relatively new to film and TV compared to his costars, but he is best known for his role as Spencer Dutton on the “Yellowstone” origin series “1923.” The actor has also had featured roles in “New Girl,” “Vice,” “Westworld” and “The Offer.”

Jenny Slate as Allysa

Allysa is Ryle’s younger, wealthy sister. The stay-at-home wife happened upon Lily Bloom’s flower shop and asked for a job. Lily and Allysa quickly become best friends, as they navigate building the flower business from the ground up. Her character brings comedic relief to this dark romance.

Slate is best known for “Parks and Recreation,” “Venom” and her voice acting roles on “Big Mouth,” “Marcell the Shell With Shoes On” and “Zootopia.” The comic also has two stand-up specials out, “Stage Fright” on Netflix and “Seasoned Professional” on Amazon’s Prime Video.

Alex Neustaedter as Young Atlas Corrigan

As a boy, a young, homeless Atlas lived in the abandoned house behind Lily’s. After Lily’s act of generosity to him, the two develop a unique relationship that protects them both from their own personal traumas.

Neustadter plays the younger version of Sklenar in the film adaptation. He got his start in Hollywood in “Ithaca,” the World War II film where he starred opposite Meg Ryan, Sam Shepard and Tom Hanks. Neustadter recently starred in “American Rust: Broken Justice” alongside Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney.

Isabela Ferrer as Young Lily Bloom

During many flashback sequences throughout the film, Isabela Ferrer appears as a young Lily Bloom . Her relationship with Atlas is critical for survival as she navigates a complicated dynamic with her father. The resemblance between Ferrer and Lively is uncanny, not only in their looks (even replicating Lively’s signature beauty mark) but also with a shockingly similar vocal quality.

Newcomer Ferrer was plucked out of Carnegie Mellon University’s music theatre program to join the cast of “It Ends With Us.” In a nationwide search for a young actress who could believably play a young Blake Lively, Ferrer booked the gig. This is Ferrer’s first major film role, but she has previously been featured in an episode of “Evil.”

Amy Morton as Jenny Bloom

Jenny Bloom is the mother of Lily and widow to her husband, Andrew. Jenny is a go-getter and always wants the best for her daughter. While she may sometimes get a little too invested in her love life, she strives to support her in every way she can.

Morton is a two-time Tony Award nominee for her performances in “August: Osage County” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” The actress is also known for her film performances in “Rookie of the Year,” “Up in the Air,” “The Dilemma” and “Bluebird.” She currently stars as Sgt. Trudy Platt in the NBC drama series “Chicago P.D.”

Hasan Minhaj as Marshall

Marshall is Allysa’s husband who got rich after selling one of his tech developments. The couple provide comedic relief in the heavy plot about domestic violence and abuse. Marshall’s love for his wife is evident, and he supports her even in her hobby-job as Lily’s floral assistant.

Minhaj is a stand-up comedian also known for his work on “The Daily Show” and his own Netflix political commentary series “Patriot Act,” which won him an Emmy Award. He most recently had a supporting role in the Jennifer Lawrence comedy “No Hard Feelings.”

Kevin McKidd as Andrew Bloom

Andrew Bloom was the beloved mayor of Lily’s hometown Plethora, Maine, but her relationship with her father was not so simple. Following his death and a eulogy she could barely mutter, Lily attempts to process her complex feelings about him. During flashback scenes in the film, audiences learn more about Andrew and his relationship not only with Lily but with her mother and Atlas.

McKidd is best known for his role as Dr. Owen Hunt in 349 episodes of the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” McKidd’s voice appears in the popular video game “Call of Duty” and the Disney princess film “Brave.” Other notable on-camera performances from the star include “Trainspotting” and “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.”

Emily Baldoni as Doctor Julie

The wife of the director and star of the film appears as one of the doctors performing Lily’s ultrasound, Baldoni told TheWrap. Justin also thanked Emily specifically in the acknowledgements section of the film. Viewers may also notice that their two kids, Maiya and Maxwell, are the two kids skipping through the farmers market in the epilogue sequence.

Robyn Lively as Ms. Byland

Blake’s half-sister Robyn Lively plays a character created for the “It Ends With Us” movie called Ms. Byland. The real life red-headed Lively sister is a working actress best known for her roles in “Teen Witch,” “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “Twin Peaks” and “Saving Grace.”

Colleen Hoover

For fans of the book with a keen eye, you may see a familiar face appear at Allysa’s birthday party in the film, Baldoni told TheWrap. The romance author makes eye contact with the camera in the party scene and also appears leaving Lily’s flower shop for a brief moment in the film. This is the author’s first foray into the film world, so her cameo is fitting.

The post ‘It Ends With Us’ Cast and Character Guide | Photos appeared first on TheWrap .