Statuesque, stylish and stunning.
In A Simple Favor, Blake Lively’s character Emily Nelson seems almost tailor-made for her. Emily is like Lively’s Gossip Girl character all grown up but with a sprinkling of wildness and a dash of darkness. Emily is enigmatic, slightly mysterious and seriously stylish.
The movie surrounds her and Stephanie, played by Anna Kendrick and their burgeoning friendship. But before you know it, Emily mysteriously disappears and Stephanie takes it upon herself to try and find her new best friend. Along the way, she peels away many unknown layers to her friend. To complicate things, there’s Emily’s husband, played by the dapper Henry Golding, fresh off his Crazy Rich Asians success. He’s the most likely suspect responsible for Emily disappearance, but is he really a shady guy?
Directed by Paul Feig, A Simple Favor is a neo-noir mystery thriller film that makes us have an extreme case of Blake Lively envy. Not only is she one of the most stylish women in the world, she’s also wife to one of the most popular actors in the world. And to sweeten this fairy tale further, the pair are parents to two little girls. Could Blake Lively have a more perfect life?
Let’s take a look at the evolution of this once Gossip Girl turned fashion goddess turned Mrs Reynolds.
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
While most of us know her as Serena van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl, the role that would catapult her into A-list-dom, it wasn’t her first acting role. Her first role is in the 2005 teen drama Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, about four childhood friends who are determined to stay together even when life takes them into different directions. The movie spawned a sequel in 2008. In the first movie, which also stars Alexis Bledel (Violet & Daisy), America Ferrera (Cesar Chavez) and Amber Tamblyn, Lively is the unknown while her co-stars are already established actresses on TV. However, by the time the sequel rolled around, Lively has surpassed her co-stars and is now the most famous of the bunch.
Famous Family
Lively comes from an acting family. Her mother is an acting coach and talent manager while her father Ernie Lively, an actor and teacher, has appeared in movies such as Passenger 57 (1992), Turner and Hooch (1989) and more. Her brother Eric Lively and half-siblings, Lori Lively, Robyn Lively and Jason Lively are all actors. However, it’s pretty clear that she is the biggest star of this family.
Sibling Love
Lively started first grade at the age of 3. Her brother Eric, who was 6, the actual age of starting first grade, was apprehensive about starting school, and Lively enrolled to accompany him. She was unusually tall for her age, so she was accepted. However, her teachers started to think that she was a slow learner because she couldn’t speak properly and is prone to napping in the middle of the day! But she was just happy to be able to make her brother feel at ease. In fact, it was Eric who influenced her to go into acting. Through his encouragement, she landed a role in Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.
Not a Wallflower
Lively is no dumb blonde, she held off acting until she’s 17 because she wanted to stay in school. And she’s led a busy high school career, she was in choir, cheerleading, and student government. She was also the class president.
An Accomplished Baker
She’s known to have a good eye on fashion and interior design, but Lively is also a fervent baker. She loved it so much that she attended a tailor-made workshop at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in 2010.
Famous Boyfriends
Before she set eyes on Ryan Reynolds, Lively has had a few famous suiters, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Penn Badgley, her co-star on Gossip Girl. Ultimately, it was Ryan Reynolds who won her heart.
Love After Green Lantern
Speaking of Reynolds, the pair met on the set of Green Lantern and played lovers, but oddly enough, sparks didn’t fly between the co-stars until way after filming had wrapped. That, according to Reynolds, is perhaps the secret to their relationship, “We were buddies for a long time, which I think is the best way to have a relationship to start as friends.” At the time of filming, Reynolds was still married to Scarlett Johansson (did you even remember these two were married?) and Lively was still dating Badgley.
It was only a year after Green Lantern that the two went on a date, not with each other though, they had arranged a double date. Reynolds shared, “that was, like, the most awkward date for the respective parties because we were just like fireworks coming across.” And the rest was history. The pair got married in South Carolina quietly, with minimal wedding guests, including Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel. Florence Welch from the Irish group Florence and the Machine sang at their wedding.
Fast forward to two years later, Lively gave birth to the couple’s first daughter, James, before adding another girl, Ines, into their brood another two years later.
King and Queen of Social Media
While the pair may not have the highest following on their social media, they certainly know how to make their presence felt, often roasting each other on either Twiter or Instagram. The latest one includes Lively teasing Reynolds on his Gin line, with him trolling her right back.
Suffice to say, Lively and Reynolds are the epitome of couple goals, and we can’t wait to see how they’ll tease each other online.
