Blake Lively first caught the public’s attention with her breakout role as Bridget in the 2005 hit “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” The film quickly turned her into an overnight sensation and paved the way for her most iconic role on “Gossip Girl,” solidifying her status in Hollywood. Over the past two decades, Lively has undergone a remarkable transformation, starring in numerous films and TV shows, starting a family with a fellow Hollywood star, and even launching her own beverage brand, Betty Buzz.
Acting seemed to run in her blood, with her father and three siblings all pursuing careers in the industry. In an August 2010 interview with Interview magazine, Lively reflected on her upbringing, saying, “I have a big, close, loving family, and they’re all from the South, but because so many of them are actors, everyone was very normal about it. It was just like any job to them. They always came home and talked about it around the dinner table the way any family talks about work, but it wasn’t anything special.”
However, despite her seemingly charmed life, Lively’s journey hasn’t always been smooth. From facing bullying in her youth to enduring relentless gossip and harsh criticism as an adult, she has had to develop a thick skin. Along the way, she’s also dealt with betrayal, injuries, insecurity, and the profound sorrow of losing a loved one.
#1. Blake Lively Faced Childhood Bullying
Today, Blake Lively‘s height of 5 feet, and 10 inches is one of her many assets, allowing her to effortlessly rock stunning gowns, kiss Ryan Reynolds without needing to stand on her tiptoes, and easily reach items on the top shelf at the grocery store. Even as a child, Lively was tall for her age, a trait her mother cleverly used to her brother’s advantage.
“When I was only 3 years old, my mom enrolled me in the first grade,” Lively shared in a November 2009 interview with Marie Claire. “My older brother was supposed to start school, but he didn’t want to go alone, so my mom told them I was 6 since I was so tall.”
However, her teacher eventually realized she wasn’t quite at the same level as the other kids, and Lively was pulled out of school.
Unfortunately, her height also made her a target for bullies. In April 2018, Lively posted a photo on Instagram of herself standing next to Big Bird from “Sesame Street.”
Alongside the image, she wrote, “Kids used to make fun of me in elementary school by calling me Big Bird (because I was ‘too tall’ and had ‘yellow’ hair). Here’s to making best buddies with the things that once hurt you.”
Over the years, Lively has proven time and again that her height is indeed something to be proud of.
#2. Blake Lively Was Deceived When She Joined Gossip Girl
By the time Blake Lively turned 18, she had decided to quit acting and pursue college. However, just as she was preparing to take this new path, she was offered the lead role in the CW’s upcoming show, Gossip Girl.
When the series premiered in 2007, it quickly propelled its cast of emerging actors into the spotlight. Accepting the role of Serena van der Woodsen seemed like the best decision for Lively’s career, as it opened doors to numerous opportunities during and after the show’s six successful seasons. However, Lively later revealed that she was initially misled about what signing on for the show would entail.
In an August 2017 interview with Vanity Fair, Lively shared that she had originally turned down the role. “I said, ‘No, I want to go to college. Thank you, though.’ Then they said, ‘O.K., you can go to Columbia [University] one day a week.
After the first year [of the show], it’ll quiet down. Your life will go back to normal and you can start going to school. We can’t put it in writing, but we promise you can go.’ So that’s why I said, ‘O.K. You know what? I’ll do this,'” Lively explained.
Unfortunately, the reality was far from what she had been promised. As she later acknowledged, there was a reason they couldn’t put the agreement in writing. The show became a massive hit, and by the time the second season rolled around, Lively found herself working 15 to 18 hours a day, nine months out of the year.
#3. The Physical Demands of Filming The Shallows
When actors take on action-packed films, they often undergo rigorous training to get into peak physical condition. For Blake Lively, this was especially true when she began filming The Shallows in 2016, just after having a baby.
To prepare for the physically demanding role, which involved wearing a bikini, surfing, and performing her own stunts, Lively embarked on an intense workout regimen to shed weight and get into shape. While performing her own stunts added authenticity to the film, it also led to exhaustion and injuries, which Lively experienced firsthand during filming.
In a June 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lively opened up about the physical challenges she faced while shooting the movie.
“There’s a scene where I’m swimming up to the buoy and I crack my face underwater, and my nose is pouring blood—that was real,” she revealed. “I thought, ‘I’m going to keep going during this take unless I pass out.’ … I was in so much pain for a week.”
The film was shot in both tanks and the open ocean, each presenting its own set of difficulties. “When we were in the tank, there were so many chemicals that my skin would just fall off,” Lively explained.
“Then you’re rubbing against these rocks and buoys, and your body is really taking a beating.” Despite these hardships, Lively’s dedication paid off, resulting in a thrilling creature feature that showcased her versatility as an actor.
#4. Blake Lively Faces Significant Online Criticism
Blake Lively has faced her fair share of harsh criticism and rumors throughout her career. Her acting skills have been scrutinized, some of her films have received poor reviews, and she’s been criticized for her online commentary.
Even some of her co-stars, like Anna Kendrick and Leighton Meester, haven’t always been her biggest fans. Lively has come to realize that it’s impossible to please everyone, and she’s tried to not let the negativity bring her down.
In a July 2014 interview with Vogue, Lively opened up about the impact of the unkind things written about her and how she copes with it.
“There have been so many things written about me that are untrue and horrifying. I can’t even believe that my family has to read this stuff,” she said.
“You just have to do what makes you happy because you’ll never get a unanimous vote. People like to gossip. They bond over it. They don’t bond over complimenting famous people.”
Despite her positive attitude, Lively admitted that reading online comments about herself can be difficult. During Variety’s “7 Secrets” segment in April 2017, she was asked if she had ever Googled herself. She responded, “I have before and it’s just ended in full depression, so I think it’s a good rule of thumb not to Google yourself because the internet is not nice.”
#5. Blake Lively Experienced Sexual Harassment from a Makeup Artist
When the stories of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct surfaced in October 2017, it marked a significant turning point in Hollywood’s approach to addressing sexual assault and harassment.
The revelations spurred many celebrities to share their own experiences, giving rise to the #MeToo Movement. Blake Lively, who had worked with Weinstein for years, expressed her devastation over the news in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
She emphasized the importance of listening to the women coming forward and acknowledged that such misconduct is widespread across various industries. In that same month, Lively shared her personal encounter with sexual harassment during an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
She recounted a disturbing experience with her on-set makeup artist, who behaved inappropriately by making unsettling comments, insisting on applying her lipstick with his finger, and even filming her while she slept. Although Lively reported the incidents to the producers multiple times, her concerns were initially ignored.
It wasn’t until she involved her lawyer that the makeup artist was finally fired. However, as Lively revealed, the situation was further complicated when the unit production manager wrote the makeup artist a letter of recommendation to avoid “bad blood.”
#6. Blake Lively Broke Her Hand During The Filming of The Rhythm Section
In 2020, Blake Lively took on the physically demanding role in the action film The Rhythm Section, starring alongside Jude Law and Sterling K. Brown.
In the movie, she portrayed a woman seeking revenge on those responsible for her family’s death, showcasing her commitment by performing her own stunts. Unfortunately, this dedication led to a serious injury that required a hospital visit.
While promoting the film on Good Morning America in January 2020, Lively recounted the accident that occurred during filming in December 2017.
“There are these one-shot fight sequences, and that’s how I shattered my hand. We had to shut down production for six months,” she explained.
Describing the severity of the injury, she added, “My hand basically turned into feta cheese.” Lively detailed how the injury happened: “I was lunging towards Jude Law with a fake rubber knife, and my hand collided with his elbow.”
The impact resulted in broken bones, a dislocated joint, and a severed ligament. With a sense of humor, Lively concluded, “But that’s why you guys have to see this movie, out of sheer guilt. I gave my right hand for something!”
#7. Blake Lively Struggles with Body Insecurities
If you’re someone who already struggles with self-image, constantly seeing photos of yourself online and in magazines can be incredibly challenging. Over the years, Blake Lively has been open about her body insecurities.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in April 2018, she encouraged her fans not to compare themselves to her, explaining, “99.9 percent of the time, the images are Photoshopped. I’m guilty myself of being at a photo shoot and saying, ‘That looks terrible on me.’ And they’re like, ‘We’ll fix it.'”
Lively’s insecurities were particularly heightened after giving birth. She and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, have welcomed four children between 2014 and 2023, meaning Lively has spent a significant amount of time with a pregnant or postpartum body.
In February 2021, she shared a throwback photo on her Instagram Story, using it as an opportunity to discuss her struggles with body image after childbirth.
“No one had samples that fit me after giving birth. And so many clothes from stores didn’t fit either. … It doesn’t send a great message to women when their bodies don’t fit into what brands have to offer. It’s alienating and confusing.”
Despite these past struggles, Lively expressed gratitude for her body, saying she’s now proud of it for creating and sustaining her children.
#8. Blake Lively Often Goes Unrecognized for Her Contributions to Ryan Reynolds’ Projects
Not only is Ryan Reynolds a talented actor, producer, family man, and devoted husband, but he’s also deeply involved in the writing of his projects.
While he’s received credit for his work on Deadpool and Welcome to Wrexham, Reynolds revealed in an August 2021 interview on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Podcast (37:31) with Julia Cunningham that his wife, Blake Lively, has made significant contributions to his writing.
Reynolds shared, “There’s a lot of A++ writing that I’ve done that was actually Blake. … Blake would jump in, grab the keyboard and [say] ‘What about this?’ And I’d be like, ‘That’s incredible.'”
He also said, “Maybe it’s because there’s inherent sexism in the business. I will say that a lot of times, ‘She wrote that, Blake wrote that not me. That was her.’ And they still, later on, repeat the story as [if] I wrote it.”
Although Lively may not always receive the recognition she deserves for her contributions, she and Reynolds have shown that they are a powerhouse couple, supporting each other’s careers over the years.
They have a mutual agreement to avoid working on projects simultaneously to focus on their family life, which might explain why a collaborative film between them is unlikely in the near future.
#9. Blake Lively Lost Her Father in 2021
Blake Lively had a profound bond with her father, Ernie Lively, a seasoned actor who passed away in June 2021 due to heart-related issues. Their close relationship was evident on screen as well, with Ernie portraying Blake’s father in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Lively has often expressed how central her family is to her life, sharing with People in December 2020, “It all goes back to family. It has always been the most important thing in my life — everything I do is at the heart of it.”
Ernie Lively had a notable health journey, including heart surgery in 2013 where he was the first patient to undergo retrograde gene therapy. Reflecting on his improved health, he told People:
“I woke up the other morning and told my wife, ‘I haven’t felt this good in years.’ I moved to Utah because of the snow, but I haven’t been able to ski. I literally didn’t have the heart to do it. Now, I’m excited about living the rest of my life instead of sitting around.”
Though Blake Lively has chosen to grieve her father’s passing privately, she honored his memory on social media. She posted a touching photo of them together on her Instagram story, and on Father’s Day, she shared another sweet image of her dad with her husband, Ryan Reynolds, captioning it, “My guys.”
