Brandon Sklenar reveals dark side of fame after 'It Ends With Us' release

Brandon Sklenar is speaking out about the unexpected consequences of starring in It Ends With Us.

The 35-year-old actor, who played Atlas Corrigan in the 2024 film adaptation, opened up in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter about being pulled into the legal drama surrounding his co-stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively.

Although his role in the movie was relatively small, Sklenar said the film dramatically increased his public visibility — and with it came a wave of online abuse that he found frightening.

During the film’s August 2024 press tour, Sklenar posted an Instagram message encouraging kindness and empathy among fans. However, the response was not what he expected.

“I wasn’t damning anybody, but I was just like, ‘Can we focus on the ethos of this whole fucking movie and not be so hateful to anybody?’ I thought it was a nice thing to say, but apparently a lot of people did not feel that way,” he told THR.

Sklenar said the backlash was immediate and extreme, with strangers sending messages such as, “I hope you die,” “You’re a piece of s–t,” and “I hope your career ends.”

He recalled that his agent advised him to stay off social media, sharing that another client had gone through a similar experience.

“But imagine you’re walking down a hallway and there’s a door to a room full of a hundred thousand people and they’re all saying something about you,” Sklenar said. “You tell me you’re not going to put your ear to the door?”

Despite the ordeal, Sklenar’s comments highlight the intense pressures actors can face when caught in the crossfire of public controversies — even when they try to promote empathy.