Blake Lively urged to follow Julia Roberts' lead after 1991 domestic violence interview clip resurfaces

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Controversies surrounding Blake Lively’s ‘It Ends With Us’ interviews are not taking a back seat yet, as a resurfaced Julia Roberts interview has ensured fans this is how interviews are done. 

Recently, a 1991 interview with the ‘Pretty Woman’ actress has resurfaced on the interview where Roberts, 56, handled the subject of domestic violence gracefully. Soon, the fans started comparing the Oscar winner’s thoughtful responses to Lively’s take on the sensitive matter during the promotional events of her latest flick ‘It Ends With Us’ where one of the central themes is domestic abuse.

Julia Roberts’ old interview resurfaces

As Julia Roberts’ old interview resurfaced, fans urged Blake Lively, 36, to follow the Oscar winner’s lead when it comes to promoting a film with a theme of domestic violence. 

The fans over the internet suggested that the ‘Gossip Girl’ alum could have handled the sensitive topic as the ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ actress did while promoting her 1991 film ‘Sleeping With the Enemy,' per Daily Mail.

A TikTok user with the username @dammitsarah79 recently uploaded a clip from Roberts’ interview with Bobbie Wygant during the press tour of ‘Sleeping With the Enemy’ where she answered questions related to the sensitive issue quite thoughtfully. 

In the Joseph Ruben directorial, Roberts played a DV survivor who had to fake her death to escape from her abusive husband. 

When the interviewer Bobbie Wygant asked her how she would “personally react” if she experienced a similar situation, the ‘Notting Hill’ actress pondered and replied it's not for her “to really say.”

She continued, “I can't even fathom being in a situation quite that horrible,” before adding candidly, “It's not in my realms of understanding.” The interviewer admitted that violence was not something she understood well, she told Roberts that she would probably “fight back.”

Wygant shared, “I doubt that I would have been able to take that for three and a half years the way [your character] did.” But Roberts reminded her that domestic violence victims often go through a “process of manipulation that grows stronger” from their abusers. 

Roberts, who was just 24 years old during the time of the interview, said, “It's not, kind of, that cut and dry,” before adding, “I think it's amazingly psychological and very destructive, so I don't think it's quite that simple.”

When Wygant asked whether she ever got scared seeing the film, Roberts replied she “screamed a couple times” and “jumped a couple times as well.”

Lively, on the other hand, courted controversies as several fans accused her of using the ‘It Ends With Us’ promotions to talk about just florals, herself, and her haircare range. 

She has also been called out for “tone deaf” promotion of the film based on Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name dealing with topics like generational trauma, physical abuse, and rape. 

The ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ star was harshly judged by fans when she sat down for an interview with novelist Hoover and the film’s women stars, Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, where they discussed everything from their zodiac signs to dream jobs. 

Lively’s questionnaire for the other stars drew flak because of their light-hearted nature. They were also judged for not uttering a sentence on domestic abuse. 

Fans urge Blake Lively to learn from Julia Roberts' interview

Fans over the internet were enamored with Julia Roberts' responses during the interview as many of them urged Blake Lively to take lessons on a balanced interview from her. 

One of the fans said, "That is why Julia is one of the greatest and well Blake is not."

"Send this to Blake..Julia is a real and true actress," said someone else.

Another fan added, "Wow, that's a big difference in tone and sincerity. One actress used their platform to raise awareness about domestic violence, while the other seemed more interested in promoting themselves."

On the original YouTube video too, some fans noted that the 'It Ends With Us' interviews should have had a similar vibe.

One user said, "So different from it ends with us interview. This should have been the kind of atmosphere for the it ends with us interviews."

"Wow 23 years old so wise and smart, Julia was one of a kind in Hollywood, I love all her movies I wish she would be acting now, teach some of this not so good actors like Blake Lively!!!" exclaimed someone else. 

Some of the readers even commented online, "Julia Roberts gave a thoughtful, honest answer -- and most likely without any sort of coaching as that is how things were done back then. Good on her."

"It’s been more about the outfit changes than the film…..character may not be defined by DV but it’s a massive part of the film so should have been discussed as opposed to what they did! Especially as we’re seeing regularly in the media about DV and people losing their lives to it," said another fan.

A social media user gushed, "Only 23 years old and yet she responded so thoughtfully and without any annoyance to questions like her boyfriend etc. The difference is that Julia is not taking anything personally. She's not letting her ego get in the way of a good interview. So much to learn from Julia in this clip."

"It’s been a fashion show and a product release opportunity for Blake. Julia had class and was gracious. Blake needs to be humbled a bit," noted another disgruntled fan.

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