Blake Lively steps out for 'Another Simple Favor' premiere at SXSW amid competing lawsuits

AUSTIN ? The 2018 dark comedy "A Simple Favor" is back for another round, and so is Blake Lively.

The actress, who reprises her role of duplicitous fashionista Emily opposite Anna Kendrick in the upcoming sequel "Another Simple Favor," stepped out for the film's world premiere at the South By Southwest film festival on Friday night.

She and co-star Kendrick, dressed in all black, donned outfits featuring strapless, structured corset-style tops with plunging necklines.

Lively's appearance was one of her few public outings since her working relationship with Justin Baldoni, her director and co-star on "It Ends With Us," soured and turned into multiple competing court battles.

Blake Lively jokes SXSW premiere is her 'own personal torture'

Inside Paramount Theatre, Lively's arrival created quite a commotion. Attendees flocked to the actress to snap photos and document her presence. She graciously took pictures with fans bold enough to ask for one and then took her seat behind Kendrick.

Following the film's premiere, Lively joined her castmates and director Paul Feig on the stage for a Q&A. Lively shared with the crowd that a stone-encrusted crop top she wears in the film weighed an astonishing 40 pounds. She also gushed over Emily when asked about reviving the role.

"It's probably my favorite character I've ever been fortunate enough to play," she said. "So when Paul asked us to come back, I was so excited."

The actress copped to being "really nervous" on the first feature, unsure "if we were making a drama or comedy," she said. "And when we asked Paul, he said, 'Yes,' which is not really an answer to the question. But it worked out.

"So I was like, 'OK, no nerves; I know what I'm doing this time,' " Lively said. "And then right before we started shooting, he said, 'I have a little bit of a curveball idea,' " which Lively kept mum on to not discuss spoilers.

"But it definitely upped the ante. It was very uncomfortable to watch in this theater with you all fine folks," Lively added, making the audience erupt with laughter. "Woo! That was my own personal torture!"

Anna Kendrick expertly dodges question hinting at Blake Lively's legal drama

As the "It Ends With Us" drama leaked into the premiere, Kendrick expertly fielded a question that hinted at her co-star's legal proceedings with her signature dry wit. (Technically, the question was about how she feels about the movie "being impacted by everything happening ... going on in the world.")

"Why, what happened? I did ayahuasca and the last year of my life is just gone, but I've heard the movie's amazing," Kendrick said in a red carpet interview with Variety.

Though "It Ends With Us" premiered in August, that was only the beginning of all the headlines that emerged about a reported rift among the cast. As 2024 came to a close, Lively sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and some of the public relations strategists they worked with, alleging sexual harassment in a workplace setting, retaliation, breach of contract and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

While Lively claims Baldoni ? along with Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath ? engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct during the filming of "It Ends With Us," as well as retaliation against her, Baldoni has denied all of her allegations. On the same day as Lively's lawsuit, Baldoni and his production company accused Lively of launching her own "smear campaign" against him in their own legal complaint, which was aimed at The New York Times over their reporting on Lively's claims.

A few weeks later, Baldoni and the other defendants filed a second lawsuit targeting Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds.

Baldoni and his co-defendants claim Lively was the one engaging in inappropriate conduct during production by, in part, "asserting control" over creative decisions. They also accused Lively and Reynolds of leveraging their "power and influence" in the industry to intimidate Baldoni and the film's producers.

With several lawsuits in the mix, the proceedings have been consolidated into one federal case in the Southern District of New York. The two are scheduled to head to trial in New York in March 2026.

What is 'Another Simple Favor' about?

The movie sees Stephanie (Kendrick) on her way to the wedding of Emily (Lively) ? years after a joint murder-suicide mission landed one in jail and one with a publishing contract.

Now, Emily is out of prison and set to wed a wealthy Italian businessman, played by Michele Morrone, and she wants Stephanie as her maid of honor. The trailer previews a reunion just as eerily charged and potentially violent as their first go-around, reviving the "What are her intentions?" question central to the success of the first movie.

When will 'Another Simple Favor' be released?

The movie will be available to stream on May 1 on Amazon Prime Video.

Contributing: Anna Kaufman

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blake Lively appears at 'Another Simple Favor' premiere amid lawsuits