Blake Lively Moments That Make Us Love Her Even More

Blake Lively has been all over the news lately in the wake of her new film, "It Ends With Us," based on Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel from 2016. Despite the film's marketing, it hasn't been all roses for Lively, as rumors of on-set feuds and a falling out with the director have overshadowed what should be a triumphant moment for the leading lady. 

Simply put, it seems that the remarkable success of "It Ends with Us" — it made over $100 million at the domestic box office in its first full week of release — has been dampened slightly by the controversy, especially since Lively is far from an actor everyone hates working with. But things are likely to turn around for the actress-slash-businesswoman once everybody forgets about the pointless tabloid drama. 

Nevertheless, the onslaught of vitriol thrown towards Lively in recent weeks is reminiscent of similar online hate campaigns against actresses like Brie Larson, Amber Heard, and even Lively's close friend Taylor Swift. As a result, many pop culture fans are probably forgetting about all the reasons why we loved Blake Lively in the first place. Let's rewind to some of the most iconic moments throughout Lively's career, from the behind-the-scenes secrets of "Gossip Girl" to her endearing family life. 

Blake Lively first became a household name after making her debut in Season 1 of "Gossip Girl" as Serena van der Woodsen, the "it girl of Manhattan." Serena's best and worst traits made her an incredibly compelling character for audiences to watch, though some of the character's mystique (and certainly her sense of fashion) have bled into Lively's off-screen persona. However, fans of "Gossip Girl" may be surprised to find out just how different Lively is from Serena.

Just look at the various gag reels from each season of the "Gossip Girl," which showcase Lively's adorable handling of flubbed dialogue, ad-libs, and scene disturbances. In one blooper from Season 2 of The CW series, Lively imitates a pterodactyl while waiting for action to be called during a scene. This type of silly behavior was rarely, if ever, seen from a character as dazzling as Serena van der Woodsen.

Even Lively felt that dichotomy of playing a character she's so different in her personal life, telling Nylon magazine, "I feel ridiculous at times with her — because I'm, you know, killing someone or marrying someone, but I look like me. I'm like, 'Oh, this is absurd.'" Fortunately, acting in a CW show is about as ridiculous as it gets, so Lively probably enjoyed the feeling despite the show's subject matter. 

As Blake Lively's star rose thanks to "Gossip Girl," she was eventually invited to host "Saturday Night Live" in 2009, a rite of passage for many up-and-coming celebrities. Her episode was memorable, including a sketch making fun of Tiger Woods' infidelity scandals — featuring Lively as his subtly abusive wife Elin Nordegren — as well as a "Gossip Girl" parody set in Staten Island. Lively even got to share the stage with the Muppets, albeit played by the cast members of the sketch show's 35th season.

Perhaps the most memorable sketch Lively starred in, at least for hardcore fans of the show, was "Potato Chip." The peculiar sketch finds Jason Sudeikis as a Foghorn Leghorn-sounding prospective astronaut who is meeting with the head of NASA, played by Forte with a Southern drawl. However, when Sudeikis partakes in a potato chip from Forte's desk while the head of NASA is out of the room, it devolves into a screaming match between the two, as well as Forte's secretary, played by Lively. 

It's a sketch that's definitely worth a watch just for how insane it gets, with Lively contributing a lot thanks to her dramatic, accented delivery of "You don't take people's potato chips." Lively has yet to host since that Season 35 episode, but this sketch certainly makes the case for her as one of the best first-time hosts in "SNL" history. 

Most actors' hearts would be skipping a beat if they found out they were getting to work with Harrison Ford. The two appeared together in 2015's "The Age of Adaline," which stars Blake Lively as a woman who doesn't age and Ford as a former lover whom she reunites with years later when she's fallen for his son. However, Lively was late to the party on becoming a fan of the actor, having never seen Ford's best movies, including the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" films, prior to meeting him.

Recounting the story on "The Tonight Show" (via YouTube), she was encouraged by her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to binge-watch the first three "Indiana Jones" films the night before they started shooting. As Lively explained to Jimmy Fallon, she could barely wait until the end of the first day to mention it, "I thought he was just dying to talk to me about it, for some reason, I just felt it," she said, "He must just think ... I have some sort of major disorder." 

While Lively was worried that she scared Ford off by nerding out about Indiana Jones in front of him, Ford was nothing but complimentary about her work in the film. The film has since been regarded as one of Lively's best roles, so it's quite impressive that despite her fangirling, she held her own against an actor like Ford.

When they're not geeking out over getting to meet Harrison Ford, Blake Lively and Jimmy Fallon have had some great chemistry in the years she's appeared on his late-night talk show. The two have a particularly special connection, given that Lively's oldest daughter, James, was apparently so overwhelmed by meeting Fallon that she can't even visit the show anymore. "You are Beyonce to her," Lively claimed.

During another visit, Fallon presented Lively with a gift that would fit right at home in the Reynolds household: a life-size cardboard cut-out of Fallon. In one of the best moments from Lively's visits to "The Tonight Show," Lively accidentally broke off the legs of the Fallon cut-out in order to have it sit next to her on the couch, causing Fallon to act as if a voodoo doll of him had been tortured. Lively then proceeded to stab the cardboard Fallon's groin with a Sharpie. 

Other iconic moments between the actress and comedian includes a dance battle of invented moves, as well as Lively's recounting of how the sex montage in Ryan Reynolds' "Deadpool" has ruined her experience on airplanes. 

If Blake Lively wasn't already a box office draw by 2016, "The Shallows" turned her into one. The thriller stars Lively as a surfer who is stranded out at sea after a shark attack, and finds herself fighting for her life against the sea creature. Lively's performance was particularly acclaimed by critics, with a review at RogerEbert.com calling it "one of those hyper-focused, action-lead performances that's as much an athletic feat as an aesthetic one." 

"Athletic" is the right term, as what's most impressive about Lively's performance in the film is her commitment to doing most of her own stunts. While she obviously didn't have to fight any real great white sharks, the only thing she required a stunt double for was the intricate surfing scenes, as well as some of the more complex action stunts towards the end of shooting that studios likely wouldn't let a major actor do anyway. 

In fact, Lively nearly broke her nose while filming the final sequence set on a buoy, with the blood dripping from her face on-screen being completely real. Yet Lively kept going rather than stop filming, telling EW she "was very proud of my bloody nose." While it made for an admirable performance, she was hurting for a week afterward, although the scene was part of a film that ended up becoming one of Lively's biggest box office achievements. 

Another one of Blake Lively's most significant film roles was in Paul Feig's black comedy "A Simple Favor," in which she plays a fashionista who goes missing, prompting her friend, played by Anna Kendrick, to investigate her disappearance and uncover her dark secrets. The film was well-reviewed, as was Lively's charming, charismatic performance. That bodes well for the film's upcoming sequel, which Lively and Kendrick are set to return in.

What may excite fans the most about a sequel to "A Simple Favor" is that it will bring another press tour for Lively and Kendrick, who showcased their friendship through interviewing each other and some casual flirting while publicizing the first film. Kendrick even claimed she was aiming to steal Lively away from Ryan Reynolds, who she had previously worked with on the film "The Voices." 

It's a mystery how there were even rumors suggesting that Lively and Kendrick didn't get along on the set of "A Simple Favor," given that their off-screen friendship seemed so lively (pun intended) in the press tour. For some examples of just how enviable the duo's faux-mance was, there are videos like their Wired Autocomplete Interview that showcase their electric chemistry. 

It's been well-documented at this point that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are incredibly close friends with singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. A big source of their connection is Lively and Reynolds' children, of whom Swift is their godmother and, according to Reynolds, a very expensive nanny. Swift even name-dropped their first three kids, James, Inez, and Betty, in her 2020 song "Betty," named after the latter daughter. 

That's not the only time the Lively-Reynolds clan have cameoed on a Taylor Swift song. On her 2017 album "Reputation," the song "Gorgeous" opens with a baby's voice saying the song title, which Swift confirmed to be Lively's eldest daughter. This provided an extra special moment for the parents when they attended Swift's "Reputation" stadium tour, as their daughter's voice intro'd the song's live performance. One lucky fan caught Lively and Reynolds' reaction on camera, which is just an adorable viral moment of two proud parents. 

The friendship between Lively and Swift has only grown in recent years. The celebs attended Kansas City Chiefs games together, including the 2024 Super Bowl, and Lively made her directorial debut with a music video for Swift's song "I Bet You Think About Me" in 2021. It just goes to show that friends who blow away the box office together, stay together. 

Blake Lively's style has been a topic of conversation in pop culture since her days on "Gossip Girl," when her real-life wardrobe was used for Serena van der Woodsen's iconic fashions. Never has this been more of an attention-grabber than at the Met Gala, the annual benefit where celebrities show off the most glamorous and, oftentimes, outlandish fashion creations. But perhaps none have rocked the red carpet better than Blake Lively. 

While Lively has impressed with many outfits in her history of attending the Met Gala, it was her 2022 look that caught the most viral attention. Lively's resplendent rose gold dress untied midway up the stairs to reveal a long blue train. Lively was an instrumental part of the dress' design, telling People, "Instead of looking to fashion to influence the dress, I looked to New York City architecture and the classic buildings," citing the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and Grand Central Station as specific designs integrated into the dress.

Of course, the Internet was ablaze with reactions to the transformation, including Lively's own husband, who was walking the red carpet with her. In an event with a history of jaw-dropping fashion moments, Lively might well take the crown, or more fittingly, the tiara, for the best execution. 

Blake Lively hasn't shied away from speaking out about important topics, from raising awareness for domestic violence during the press tour for "It Ends With Us," to her speech at Variety's Power of Women event in 2017 calling for action to stop the spread of online child abuse. However, she's also not been afraid to speak up about matters that are more personal to her life, such as the invasive behavior of paparazzi, especially when it involves her children.

In 2022, Lively took to Instagram to share photos of herself pregnant with her fourth child, and in the caption denounced the paparazzi who had been stalking her family in the hopes of getting a valuable shot. "You freak me and my kids out," she wrote, "Thanks to everyone else for all the love and respect and for continuing to unfollow accounts and publications who share photos of children." Given how important protecting her children has been above just about everything else, it's not surprising that fellow celebrity parents like Gigi Hadid stood behind Lively's message. 

Blake Lively has been known to utilize her social media for one incredibly important purpose: roasting her husband. Over the years, the married couple have had some pretty savage burns against each other online, from Reynolds claiming he would use Lively as a "human shield" to protect their children to Lively commemorating Reynolds' birthday with a photo of the other Canadian Ryan, Ryan Gosling. 

It's clear that Reynolds' trademark sarcasm has rubbed off on Lively even outside of their relationship, as the actress hasn't been afraid to showcase her witty and dry humor from time to time. One such example took place at a Wrexham AFC game, where Lively was supporting the Welsh football team co-owned by her, Reynolds, and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" co-creator/star Rob McElhenney. When a fan recorded a video asking Lively to say hi to his girlfriend Stephanie, Lively replied (via ET Online), "Hi Stephanie! You should leave him." 

Clearly, the fans that were there got a kick out of Lively's roasting being seen in person, and even fans who weren't there made the clip go viral to appreciate Lively's quick humor. According to the fan, his wife couldn't have been happier to receive the message, though she didn't take the actress' advice. 

Many people first became fans of Blake Lively way before "Gossip Girl," as she was also a member (the tallest one, to be exact) of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," a 2005 film based on the best-selling novel series. Alongside America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, Lively reprised her role in the film's 2008 sequel, though a third film has been in development hell for years, with Bledel and Tamblyn confirming that a script had been written for it. 

Although no progress seems to have been made on a "Sisterhood 3," the foursome have remained close friends long after the last movie was filmed over 15 years ago. As Lively told Entertainment Weekly in 2013, "They're the most intelligent people you'll ever meet. It's just like, Wow, how lucky am I to have those women as friends? And how lucky are they, because I make a good cupcake!"

Recently, the sisterhood reunited to commemorate America Ferrera's numerous nominations for her role in 2023's "Barbie," attending a screening of the Greta Gerwig movie in an appropriate amount of pink. Lively penned a message for Ferrera on Instagram in celebration of her success, which might be just about the sweetest thing you'll read all year. 

When it was confirmed that a female variant of Deadpool would appear in 2024's "Deadpool and Wolverine," it didn't take long for fans to correctly guess who would play her. While Blake Lively doesn't in fact don the iconic red suit, she provides the voice performance for "Ladypool," which seemed like the appropriate choice given how synonymous her husband has become with the foul-mouthed Marvel Comics character since the first "Deadpool" film was released in 2016.

As it turns out, Lively's appearance in the film was quite the wish fulfillment, as the actress herself learned after the fact. As she shared on "Live with Kelly and Mark," the character was initially based on her: "Rob Liefeld drew LadyPool based on... he and his wife watched 'Gossip Girl,'" she said. "They were looking for a LadyPool, so, you know." Not only did Liefeld not know Lively would end up playing the character, but he didn't even know that at the time he was creating the character, Lively and Reynolds were first meeting on the set of "Green Lantern."

Overall, when looking back on Lively's life, it's not hard to admire how well the puzzle pieces all fit into place. It may seem like Blake Lively was born to just play the "it girl of Manhattan," but she's certainly had the iconic career to become that girl for real. 

If you or anyone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, or may be the victim of child abuse, contact the relevant resources below:

• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
• Please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.