Justin Baldoni Confesses To Having ‘Near Breakdown’ On ‘It Ends With Us’ Set

The actor shared on the “How to Fail with Elizabeth Day” podcast that helming the project was “a very lonely job.”

Justin Baldoni says directing and starring in “It Ends With Us” was a nearly untenable job.

The titular adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel follows flower shop owner Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) as she becomes romantically involved with abusive neurosurgeon Riley Kincaid (Baldoni), which made for volatile subject matter that deeply affected Baldoni.

The actor confessed on Wednesday’s episode of the “How to Fail with Elizabeth Day” podcast that helming the project was “a very lonely job” due to the two-pronged task of also starring in it and recalled having a “near breakdown” after one particular scene.

“There’s a moment in the movie where Ryle finds Lily’s phone, and he finds a phone number and he’s very jealous and he’s heartbroken and he’s angry,” Baldoni said on the podcast. “And he doesn’t harm her, but you can see in his eyes how dangerous he is.”

He continued, “After that scene, I had a near breakdown. And I had to leave and just cry and shake because there was so much pain.”