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“I wanna shout out to Kristen Stewart, who was the person I interviewed after the horrific incident,” Flaa said.
“She was the most wonderful, wonderful person to interview. So she saved my day, and you know, I was terrified walking into that interview because I’d just experienced what I had,” she said, adding that Stewart was “so sweet.”
Flaa would eventually meet Lively again at the press junket for “A Simple Favor” with Anna Kendrick in 2018. The interview appeared to be relaxed, with no mention of the pair’s previous interaction.
Fans pointed out the difference in Lively’s demeanor during the second interview.
“It’s weird watching her trying to be nicer than the last time,” one person commented on the YouTube video.
“The irony is that Blake doesn’t even remember this is the woman she bullied,” another wrote.
Lively’s reputation has taken a bashing
The resurfaced interview coincided with the backlash Lively has received during the promotion of her new film, “It Ends With Us,” which is about a woman who experiences domestic abuse.
Some commentators said Lively’s promotion of the movie was too lighthearted, while others accused the actor as using it as an opportunity to promote her beverage line and hair care line.
“Grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it,” Lively said in one promotional video that’s making the rounds on TikTok.
Desislava Dobreva, a branding strategist, and Jake Holyoak, the managing director of the public-relations agency One March, told BI that Lively’s reputation can be mended if she issues a detailed public statement addressing the criticism.
Lively hasn’t publicly responded to Flaa’s comments or the criticism surrounding “It Ends With Us.” However, it’s worth noting that she shared a National Domestic Violence Hotline resource on her Instagram story on August 13.
Flaa told BI that she was unaware of the controversy surrounding Lively when she posted the 2016 interview and had “no idea it would get this kind of attention.”
“Looking back, I still feel that I handled it the best way I could,” Flaa said. “In these settings, they always blame the journalist if something goes wrong. It’s never the talent’s fault no matter what happens.”
Representatives for Blake Lively did not immediately respond to a request for comment.