Anna Kendrick has coy response to question about working with Blake Lively again

Anna Kendrick has raised eyebrows with her coy response to a question about working with Another Simple Favor co-star, Blake Lively.

The two actors walked the red carpet at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival on Friday, ahead of the premiere of the film, a sequel to the 2018 movie, A Simple Favor.

The event came amid Lively’s lawsuit with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, as she sued him in December for sexual harassment and for trying to “destroy” her reputation. Months before she filed the lawsuit, fans had accused Lively of being a “mean girl,” as some of her old interviews were resurfacing, and they criticized her “tone-deaf approach” to advertising It Ends With Us, given it’s about domestic violence.

While Kendrick was signing autographs and taking selfies with fans, during the film festival on Friday, a reporter asked her about her time with Lively.

“What does it mean to be working with Blake Lively again?” an interviewer for Entertainment Tonight asked.

However, Kendrick didn’t have much to say about that, as she simply replied: “Oh you know.” She continued to walk the red carpet and greet fans.

In the comments of the interview on Instagram, fans praised the Pitch Perfect star’s response to the question, while hinting at the underlying meaning of it.

“That was a relatable and respectful answer,” one wrote.

“‘Ooh you know’ saying much without saying much,” another wrote, while a third added: “Queen of saying everything without saying anything lol.”

Meanwhile, when Lively was asked what it means “to be back with Anna,” she had a different response.

“Oh, it’s the best!” she said on the red carpet, as shown in a video posted by Entertainment Tonight. “I’m so happy to be here.”

During another interview with Variety at the event, Kendrick was asked how her new film is “being impacted by everything going on in the world” — which appeared to be a reference to Lively’s ongoing legal battle with Baldoni.

The actor again had an enigmatic response, saying: “Why? What happened? I did ayahuasca and the last year of my life has been gone. But I heard the movie’s amazing.” She then blew a kiss at the interviewer and walked away.

In January, A Simple Favor director Paul Feig shut down online rumours that a feud between the movie’s stars, Kendrick and Lively, had indefinitely shelved the now-released sequel. Feig called the speculation “total BS”.

“Sorry. The movie is finished and coming out soon. Don’t believe anything you read on social media these days,” the Bridesmaids director warned at the time.

Another Simple Favor marks Lively’s first movie premiere since she sued Baldoni, with claims he orchestrated a campaign to “destroy” her reputation last year. This came after she was receiving immense backlash online for failing to treat It Ends With Us’ heavy subject matter with the appropriate solemnity. The two actors were also rumored to be feuding last year because they appeared to avoid each other during their film’s promotional tour.

In an amended complaint, filed last month and obtained by The Independent, Lively claimed that the backlash she received was “so vicious that Meta publicly stated that ‘kind of online harassment is wrong and we condemn it.”

She also expressed the “emotional impact” of the online scrutiny has been “extreme” for her, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their four children — James, 10, Inez, eight, Betty, five, and Olin, two.

The Gossip Girl alum later asked a judge for a stronger protective order than the court’s “model” one, after receiving “violent” messages amid her and Baldoni’s legal battle. In addition, the actor’s team asked for certain material to be categorized as “an Attorney’s Eyes Only,” which would make those legal documents highly confidential.

However, Baldoni’s legal team has since critcized those requests, accusing Lively of trying “to shield, from public view, documents and information exchanged herein.” The document also alleged Lively and Reynolds gave an “otherwise confidential administrative complaint” to The New York Times when she first filed her lawsuit in December. Baldoni has denied the accusations against him.

The Jane the Virgin alum is suing The New York Times for $250 million, and he is counter-suing Lively and her husband for $400 million. The lawsuit against the couple alleges that they’re attempting to “destroy” Baldoni’s reputation and career.

In January, a New York federal judge informed both parties to prepare for a trial in March 2026. After this, Lively and Reynolds’ attorneys filed a notice stating that they would seek to dismiss Baldoni’s counter-lawsuit.