Anna Kendrick’s extremely uncomfortable three-word answer to a question from Blake Lively adds fuel to rumors of a feud

Anna Kendrick offered a very awkward response when questioned about working with Blake Lively once again on their sequel Another Simple Favor. 

The 39-year-old star of Twilight, who is rumored to be in a ‘secret feud’ with the actress from Gossip Girl, was present at the screening of an upcoming movie on Prime Video at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin last Friday. Lively also showed up at the event.

Blake is currently embroiled in a well-known legal dispute with her co-star and director Justin Baldoni from It Ends With Us. The conflict started when she filed a lawsuit against him for sexual assault and for allegedly launching a smear campaign against her back in December of last year.

In a now-viral video shared to X, Kendrick was filmed cheerfully greeting fans outside of the event. 

At one point, one asked the actress, ‘What does it mean to be working with Blake again?’ 

When asked about the situation, Anna simply responded with, ‘Oh, you know…,’ and opted to take selfies with others instead of providing further details. This only added more fuel to the rumors of a potential feud between the two celebrities.

Lively was also seen mingling with fans and signing autographs in a separate video on X when she was asked a similar question – but her response was in stark contrast to Kendrick’s. 

‘Blake, what does it mean to be back with Anna?’ a fan asked as the actress was strolling by. 

‘Oh, it’s the best! I’m so happy,’ the star gushed before being guided to take additional photos during the festivities. 

And on the red carpet with Variety, Kendrick shared a vague response when questioned about how the movie has been affected by ‘everything going on in the world.’ 

‘Why, what happened? I did ayahuasca and the last year of my life is just gone,’ the star replied, referencing to the plant-based psychedelic. 

The actress then continued, ‘But I’ve heard the movie is amazing,’ before walking away.  

Anna and Blake reunited for the anticipated sequel which is slated to officially release later this year on May 1 – and is the sequel to the 2018 movie A Simple Favor. 

Other cast members include Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Michele Morrone, Allison Janey and Elena Sofia Ricci. 

The premise, ‘Follows Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman,’ per IMDB.  

While on the red carpet at the SXSW Film Festival, both Anna and Blake paused for a few photos together – as director Paul Feig stood in between the pair. 

Lively – who was interrupted by a pro-Justin Baldoni protestor at the event – also seemingly had an awkward moment with her co-star Michele Morrone as the pair stopped to take a few snaps together on the red carpet.  

In a clip shared to Instagram by the account DeuxMoi, Blake could be seen suddenly glancing down and quickly adjusting her strapless dress. 

Morrone stopped posing as he looked over at the actress and the two stars had a very brief exchange before posing once again. 

She also adjusted her own standing position as the 365 Days actor made another comment to the actress before the reel came to an end. 

Body language expert Judi James weighed in on the moment to DailyMail.com as the Lively and Morrone positioned themselves for the cameras at their side.   

‘Blake has her right hand on her hip in another pose of supreme confidence, but she suddenly lifts it to the left side of her strapless dress to pull it up into place, adding a checking pat to the bodice as she does so,’ Judi explained.

‘She seems to make a smiling comment to Morrone as she performs the pat and he responds with a raised hand and finger of reassurance or “that’s ok” as she grins at him.’

James added, ‘They then smile at the camera but the way Morrone’s arm swings at his side before his hand rises to touch his head suggests a moment of awkwardness, as does the way Blake crosses her legs in a self-diminishing pose as her hand taps on her hip again.’ 

Anna and Blake’s joint appearance on Friday at the premiere of their movie comes amid rumors of a ‘secret feud’ between the pair.  

It was previously reported that Kendrick is less than thrilled that Blake’s legal drama with Justin Baldoni is overshadowing her film Another Simple Favor with the actress. 

A source told People last month, ‘The comments on Instagram have upset her, especially the ones saying fans are now refusing to watch the movie because they don’t want to support Blake.’ 

They further explained that the Pitch Perfect star is ‘not used to being caught up in any drama.’ 

However another insider shared, ‘The film is in the early stages of planning what press will look like, and Blake and Anna will be doing some things together.’

A separate source explained to DailyMail.com, ‘These movies are basically all Anna and Blake have in common. They have a working relationship, by no means a close friendship or bond. 

‘Last-minute talks are underway with execs as Anna would prefer to distance herself from Blake going forward.’

The insider added, ‘It was originally planned that the two would do much of the promotion together. That’s what the studio requested, and Anna and Blake agreed to it. But Anna could go it alone over fears she will get caught up in the drama.’

Another source commented on Blake attending the SXSW Film Festival and said, ‘Beyond this, Anna and the others do not anticipate any deep level of involvement.

‘In fact, Anna is prepared to handle the promotion responsibilities alone. She would prefer this because she does not want to have to dodge questions about Blake’s lawsuit or have every interview turn into a Lively v Baldoni Q&A session.

The insider added, ‘Although Blake is obligated to promote the film, she retains the autonomy to determine the extent of her involvement beyond SXSW. They are now leaving this up to her to decide.’

Anna and Blake are also rumored to have clashed over their billing on the sequel and Lively failing to address the effect of her lawsuit on the movie. 

Also last month, a source told DailyMail.com, ‘There is a gigantic pink elephant in the room that no one is acknowledging. 

‘The backlash to initial promo has been brutal. There are people protesting and refusing to see it.’ 

The insider continued, ‘Blake has not addressed this. She has not called the cast to apologize. She has not done anything like that. She has stayed quiet and hidden away. She owes Anna an apology. She owes them all an apology.

‘Anna is just over all of it. If Anna was in this position, she would not be letting the film take the fall for her own personal issues.’ 

In regards to the position of their names when it came to the billing, another source shared, ‘In the original film Anna got top billing over Blake. She thought it was a no-brainer that the same would happen this time around. But Blake didn’t see it that way.

‘She fought, through her reps to get top billing over Anna, who refused to bow to Blake’s demands. Finally, after weeks of negotiations a deal was struck between the actresses.

‘They agreed on staggered billing, which meant Anna’s name would read first and Blake’s would be above hers but on the right-hand side. In the business that’s considered equal billing,’ the source explained. 

Lively has been embroiled in the ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni after she accused him of sexual assault and launching a smear campaign against her. 

He responded by filing a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloane. 

Upon filing her lawsuit in December, Blake not only sued Baldoni but also producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios co-founder Steve Sarowitz, crisis PR expert Melissa Nathan, Jed Wallace and his publicist Jennifer Abel.

Along with his $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Justin is also suing the New York Times $250 million in a libel lawsuit after the publication reported on Lively’s allegations.

The two stars are set to go to court later next year in March 2026 – which was revealed back in January.