It Ends With Us fans stunned by Justin Baldoni's powerful speech amid Blake Lively drama: 'Exactly how the film should be promoted'

Justin Baldoni has received an onslaught of social media support when he spoke out about domestic violence while surprising fans at an It Ends With Us screening - days after costar Blake Lively was slammed over her promotion of the movie.

In the lead-up to the movie's release, rumors of an ongoing feud between Justin, 40, and Blake, 36, have dominated headlines - and it has resulted in both of the stars facing intense scrutiny online.

But now, Justin - who on top of acting in the film also directed it and served as one of its producers - was praised online after he made a powerful speech about the movie's serious theme. 

The film, which is based off Colleen Hoover's novel of the same name, follows a woman named Lily Bloom, played by Blake, who becomes embroiled in an abusive relationship with a man named Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin. 

And the actor reminded viewers to be mindful of how the story may affect others while visiting a Los Angeles movie theater at The Grove over the weekend.

Justin Baldoni has received an onslaught of support on social media after he spoke out about domestic violence while surprising fans at an It Ends With Us screening

Just before the film was set to start, Justin shocked movie-goers by walking into the cinema; he then addressed the crowd and shared an important message about 'intimate partner violence.'

'Thank you for choosing to leave your houses and come and sit and have this experience,' the actor said.

'This film is about love, it's about hope, it's about romance. But it's also about something very serious - intimate partner violence. 

'So I just want to say it is prevalent, it is everywhere. There's a good chance that a few people in this room have been touched by it.

'If you see somebody at the end of this film sitting alone and shaking or emotional, maybe consider going up to them and asking them if you can support them in some way.'

Justin added that even those who didn't relate to what the characters went through should still take time to 'reflect' on its themes.

'I ask anybody who watches this film to maybe be reflective at the end and [ask yourself], "What's the cycle that you can break in your life?"' he concluded.

A clip of his speech was uploaded to TikTok by a woman named Shelsy, and it quickly went viral, gaining more than 961,000 views in a matter of hours.

The film follows a woman named Lily Bloom, played by Blake Lively, who becomes embroiled in an abusive relationship with a man named Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin

The actor reminded viewers to be mindful of how the story may affect others while visiting a movie theater at LA's The Grove over the weekend

A clip of his speech was uploaded to TikTok by a woman named Shelsy, and it quickly went viral, gaining more than 961,000 views in a matter of hours

And immediately, people flocked to the comment section to praise Justin for his words.

'What a kind soul,' one person gushed, while another agreed, 'He's so articulate. Refreshing.'

'He deserves full credit to the success of the movie,' someone else added.

'Every producer and writer and director out there needs to be booking him,' a fourth comment read.

A fifth said, 'Hearing him say this feels very healing.'

'This is how you promote: in person, in regular clothes, genuine, with love,' a different user wrote.

'Very demure, very considerate, very empathetic. You are truly a gem,' someone else commented, while tagging Justin. 'Thank you for being a voice to the voiceless.'

'Bro genuinely cares bout the message, what a good dude,' another supporter said. 

Blake was previously scrutinized for the way she answered an interview question about the movie's very serious themes.

When a reporter asked the Gossip Girl alum how people who related to what her character went through could talk to her about it if they saw her in person, her sarcastic response left people outraged. 

Rather than encouraging domestic violence victims to seek help from professionals or sharing resources available to them, she laughed at the concept of making herself available to them. 

'For people who see this movie and relate to the topics of this movie on a deeply personal level, they're really going to want to talk to you,' the interviewer said. 

Immediately, people flocked to the comment section to praise Justin for his words

'This movie is going to affect people and they're going to want to tell you about their life. 

'So if someone understands the themes of this movie and comes across you in public and they want to really talk to you, what's the best way for them to be able to talk to you about this? How would you recommend they go about it?'

It came days after his costar Blake was slammed for not addressing the topic in an interview 

Blake seemed unamused by the idea of people approaching her and wanting to discuss the harrowing themes that play out in the film.

She sarcastically replied, 'Ask for my address or my phone number.'

'Or I could just share my location with you and then we could...,' she trailed off before laughing.

Blake was also blasted online after she hosted an interview with her It Ends With Us costars Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, as well as author Colleen, and failed to discuss the topic.

The four women giggled together as they chatted everything from their dream jobs to their zodiac signs, but there was no mention of domestic violence during their talk. 

Social media users were quick to slam them - particularly Blake, who hosted the interview - for partaking in the lighthearted questionnaire given the serious nature of the film. 

Several hours later, Blake took to Instagram to share information about domestic violence, as well as some resources for her followers.

When a reporter asked her how people who related to what her character went through could talk to her about it if they saw her in person, her sarcastic response left people outraged 

Blake was also previously blasted online after she hosted an interview with her It Ends With Us costars, and failed to discuss the serious message behind the movie

She shared a series of links, which included a phone hotline for victims of domestic violence, as well as statistics and other information. 

'Everyone deserves relationships free of domestic violence,' she wrote. 

Rumors of a divide between Blake and her costar Justin first arose after fans noticed that they failed to do any press together leading up to the film's release, and didn't interact at the movie's red carpet premiere. 

A source previously told DailyMail.com that Blake and Justin clashed over his 'dismissive' attitude to her 'input' while they were filming scenes that involved abuse.

The insider claimed that Justin only focused on 'what he believed was the abusive male viewpoint' and had a very 'chauvinistic' approach to the topic. 

'During scenes depicting abuse, Justin failed to consider Blake's character's perspective, instead focusing solely on what he believed was the abusive male viewpoint,' they said. 

'His approach was very chauvinistic, creating a tense atmosphere on set.'

The source claimed Justin was 'borderline abusive' on set, and said he 'almost became the character.' 

'Justin almost became the character in the sense that some women on set felt he was borderline abusive to them and that he was unprofessional and unapologetic,' they said.

'Directing a film so serious and so important about domestic abuse without allowing the women to be included in this process is disturbing.' 

Days later, TMZ reported that Blake felt 'fat-shamed' by Justin on set while they were preparing for a scene that saw him lift her off the ground.

Insiders told the website that Justin suffers from back problems and sought assistance from a trainer prior to the lifting scene. 

He allegedly asked the trainer how much Blake weighed and asked for help preparing his back to avoid incurring an injury. 

When Blake learned about his comments, she reportedly felt fat-shamed by him.