Blake Lively’s It Ends with Us Wig Mystery: What an Alleged Contract Reveals

Blake Lively made a romantic drama, and somehow we ended up arguing about wigs. The short version: a newly unsealed draft of her It Ends with Us contract hints she pre-approved a top-tier wig maker, which has the internet rewatching Lily Bloom’s hair like it’s the Zapruder film. Toss in the ongoing lawsuit noise around the movie and that pre-release wardrobe backlash, and you’ve got a very modern Hollywood trifecta: money, control, and whether the hair is attached to the head.

The contract tea, in plain English

An unsealed filing from the Southern District of New York, tied to Blake Lively’s legal fight with director Justin Baldoni, includes a proposed version of her It Ends with Us deal. Key word: proposed. It’s a draft, not necessarily the final signed version, but it lays out how big this gig was for her and where she had creative say.

• Upfront pay: over $1.7 million
• Back-end: 10% of the film’s gross proceeds
• Box office incentives: $250,000 bonuses at certain milestones
• Awards bonuses: up to $200,000 for an Academy Award win, $100,000 for a Golden Globe, $75,000 for a SAG Award

Here’s the part that set off the hair detectors: journalist Kjersti Flaa combed through the paperwork and pointed to paragraph 13, which lists approval rights. According to her breakdown, Lively had final approval on Peter Owen — a renowned wig maker. There’s no clause that literally says a wig had to be used, but that name check is… suggestive.

'Another fun fact. The contract strongly implies that she may be wearing a wig... it outlines that Blake Lively’s approval right list is — amongst one thing — the wig maker Peter Owen. So she pre-approved the wig maker for the movie.'

Flaa also flagged the amusing timing: Lively was pushing her haircare line on the promo trail while, if the theory holds, spending the movie in a wig. Flaa is clear she’s not a lawyer, but she says she’s still digging through the filings and expects more to surface.

About that red hair on set

Receipts exist. On May 15, 2023 in New York City, fans spotted Lively filming as Lily Bloom with fiery, golden-auburn waves and a somber vibe. She was photographed in a low-cut halter dress with loafers in one scene, then a pink trucker jacket over a baggy tee in another, Valentino tote in hand. A chunk of the wardrobe reportedly came straight from Lively’s own closet. Also relevant: she went red for The Rhythm Section (2020), and that was definitely a wig. So the precedent is there, which only fuels Flaa’s theory here.

The wardrobe backlash vs what the movie was doing

When candid set pics leaked, the internet decided Lily wouldn’t dress like that. Costume designer Eric Daman — who worked with Lively for six years on Gossip Girl — didn’t exactly panic. He said the looks were designed to tell Lily’s story in context, mixing vintage, masculine and feminine pieces, and intentionally avoiding anything too delicate. He also credited Lively’s eye and taste for shaping the character’s style. His bottom line: once people see the outfits in the actual scenes, the choices will make sense, even if not everyone loves them.

Quick refresher: what is this movie again?

It Ends with Us follows Lily Bloom, a florist with a traumatic past, as she falls into a relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by Justin Baldoni. It’s now streaming on Netflix.

So… did she wear a wig?

The filing suggests she had final say over a famous wig maker. That doesn’t prove a wig was used, but it’s a very specific approval to have if you weren’t planning for hairpieces. Given her past red-wig work and how polished Lily’s color looks on camera, I’d bet we’re not looking at untouched roots. Whether that changes anything about the performance is up to you.

Does the possible wig make Lily work better, or is it just Hollywood doing Hollywood things? And if she was selling shampoo while wearing a hairpiece, is that funny, hypocritical, or simply smart branding? Drop your theories — and your best wig puns — in the comments.