Blake Lively

2005–2006: Career beginnings

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was released in 2005. Lively's performance earned her a nomination for a Teen Choice Award for "Choice Movie Breakout – Female".^[14] In 2006, Lively co-starred with Justin Long in Accepted, and she had minor roles in the horror film, Simon Says. Accepted was not well received by critics, but Lively's performance was, earning her a 'Breakthrough Award' from Hollywood Life.^[15] Lively starred in Elvis and Anabelle (2007) as Anabelle, a bulimic girl who hoped to win a beauty pageant.^[16] She said of getting into character for the role that she had "shed serious weight" for her height. She stated that that process was difficult for her because food was "the No. 1 love of my life."^[17]

2007–2012: Gossip Girl

Lively was cast in The CW's series Gossip Girl, based on the novel series Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar, which premiered in September 2007.^[18] Already having deferred college for a year, Lively intended to turn the role down and become a student, but was told that she could attend college part-time while filming the show (she later said "This is advice to anyone: when they say, 'We promise, but we can't put it in writing,' there's a reason they can't put it in writing").^[19] She played the role of Serena van der Woodsen in the teen drama until 2012 when the show ended.^[20][21] Her first magazine cover was the November 2007 issue of CosmoGirl, where she discussed her time in high school and her career prior to Gossip Girl.^[22]

In 2008, Lively reprised her role as Bridget in the sequel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Similarly to the first film, Lively's performance was positively received by critics.^[23] As of November 2008, the film had earned over $44 million at the box office.^[24] In 2009, she appeared as Gabrielle DiMarco in the romantic comedy New York, I Love You, a sequel to the 2006 film Paris, je t'aime. Despite positive critical reception, the film failed at the box office.^[25][26]

Lively portrayed the younger version of the titlular character in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) to critical acclaim.^[27] Paul Byrnes, of the Brisbane Times, described her performance in the film as "sensational".^[28] In October 2009, she began filming her scenes for her role as Kristina "Kris" Coughlin in the 2010 film The Town, based on Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves.^[29] The film, which was directed by and starred Ben Affleck, was released in the United States on September 17, 2010. On her performance, Variety wrote that Lively was "almost unrecognizable [and] has fierce, pained moments as the moll and single mother .. tossed aside."^[30] In December of that year, she appeared in the music video for The Lonely Island's "I Just Had Sex" together with Jessica Alba.^[31] Lively played Carol Ferris, the female lead and love interest of Hal Jordan in the superhero film Green Lantern, which was released in June 2011.^[32] The film grossed a worldwide total of $219,851,172.^[33] In 2011 she was featured in the annual Time magazine 100 influential people.^[34] Additionally, AskMen.com named her the most desirable woman of 2011^[35] and People magazine named her one of 2012's Most Beautiful at Every Age.^[36]

In 2012, Lively starred in Oliver Stone's Savages alongside Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek, and John Travolta. She replaced Jennifer Lawrence as Ophelia, after Lawrence dropped out to do The Hunger Games. HitFix film critic Drew McWeeny said Lively's performance was "smart and sad precisely because she plays O as such a broken, needy little soul".^[37] Also that year, she was selected as the face of the new Gucci fragrance, Gucci Premiere. She appeared in a short film ad directed by Nicolas Winding Refn for the fragrance.^[38]

Since 2013: Film career

She starred in the film The Age of Adaline (2015), opposite Michiel Huisman and Harrison Ford, playing a woman who "stops aging after recovering from a near-fatal accident."^[39][40][41] The Atlantic stated that she showed her "potential as a leading lady" primarily in the second half of the film, citing her "clipped delivery and coy restraint" as well as her "capable perform[ance]" within the emotional intensity of the film.^[42] In 2016, Lively starred in the survival horror film The Shallows.^[43] It received positive reviews and her performance was praised by critics.^[44] That year, she also starred in Woody Allen's romantic comedy film, Café Society which premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival. During the film’s press tour, Lively was asked about working with Allen amid sexual abuse allegations made by his daughter, Dylan Farrow. Lively enjoyed her experience working with Allen stating, "It's really cool to work with a director who's done so much, because he knows exactly what he wants". Lively stated that it was "dangerous to factor in things you don't know anything about" and indicated she had not reviewed the allegations in detail. She added that she could only speak from her own experience, describing Allen as "empowering to women."^[45]

Lively starred opposite Jason Clarke in psychological drama All I See Is You (2016), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to mixed reviews.^[46] In 2018, she starred in the mystery-thriller A Simple Favor, alongside Anna Kendrick and Henry Golding, and directed by Paul Feig.^[47] The film was released on September 14 and Lively's performance was acclaimed.^[48][49] Variety wrote that "She has her moments .. many of them physical .. Lively's Emily is both repellent and irresistible."^[50] Some critics believed Lively could achieve her first Academy Award nomination for the role; however a nomination never eventuated.^[51]

Lively next played the lead, a drug-addicted prostitute turned assassin, in The Rhythm Section, the film adaptation of the Mark Burnell novel The Rhythm Section, produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, and directed by Reed Morano.^[52] The film was released by Paramount Pictures on January 31, 2020.^[53] Variety noted Lively's performance as "display[ing] a realistic near-incompetence in the face of danger [that] makes her relatable in ways very few cinematic assassins have ever been."^[54][55]

In May 2021, it was announced that Lively would star in Lady Killer as the lead character, Josie Schuller.^[56] She made her directorial debut as the co-writer and director of the music video for Taylor Swift's song "I Bet You Think About Me" featuring American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton, released on November 15, 2021, from Swift's re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version) (2021).^[57] In April 2022, it was announced Lively would make her feature directing debut with an adaptation of the graphic novel Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley, with Edgar Wright writing the screenplay and producing.^[58] In January 2023, it was announced that she would star in the romantic drama film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel It Ends with Us as the lead character, Lily Bloom.^[59]

In August 2024, Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds became the first married Hollywood couple to have two separate films in which they starred top the box office on the same weekend since Bruce Willis and Demi Moore in 1990, when their respective films It Ends With Us and Deadpool & Wolverine occupied the number one and number two spots at the box office during the August 9–11 weekend.^[60][61]

The filming of It Ends With Us received substantial media and social media coverage. Several months after the production and release of It Ends with Us, Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, alleging she experienced sexual harassment and retaliation resulting in a smear campaign from the film's director and co-star, Justin Baldoni.^[62][63]

Film

Television

Music videos