Anna Kendrick praised for incredible response to question about Blake Lively on red carpet

After reuniting with Blake Lively ahead of the eagerly awaited sequel to thriller flick A Simple Favour, many fans were dying to know Anna Kendrick's verdict on the former Gossip Girl's ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni.

And let's just say, her reaction did not disappoint.

For those in need of a reminder, in December 2024 Lively filed a complaint against 41-year-old Baldoni.

She accused her It Ends With Us cast-mate of exhibiting overly sexualised behaviour towards her while on the set of the Coleen Hoover novel adaptation and orchestrating a 'smear campaign' against her.

As well as denying all accusations made against him, Baldoni has since sued 37-year-old Lively for defamation and extortion.

Since the allegations were made, it seems as though other huge-name celebs have been somewhat reluctant to bring up the beef in public - with the exception of Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds, who alluded to the lawsuit with a controversial joke during an appearance on Saturday Night Live last month.

Among those seemingly skirting around the issue of Lively and Baldoni's dispute when asked about it publicly is Pitch Perfect favourite, Anna Kendrick.

The 39-year-old appeared on the red carpet of the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas, over the weekend to promote Another Simple Favour - a sequel to the super-chic thriller-comedy in which she and Lively starred in 2018.

While chatting to the press, one Variety reporter had the courage to ask Kendrick about her co-star's current legal predicament.

"How do you feel that the movie is being impacted by everything going on… in the world?" they asked the movie star, to which she gave a pretty iconic response.

With falsified naivety, she began by smiling: "Why? What happened?"

Kendrick then went on to joke: "I did Ayahuasca and the last year of my life has just gone, but I’ve heard the movie is amazing!"

If you're confused by her reference, Ayahuasca is a South American psychoactive brew with powerful hallucinogenic properties, considered a Class A drug in the US.

Footage of the rib-tickling interaction has since gone viral online, with some followers of the feud praising Kendrick for her 'Oscar-winning evasion' of the question.

Taking to social media, one jibed of the moment: "Anna Kendrick mastering the art of saying a lot without saying anything at all."

Another gushed: "This is why Anna stays ICONIC."

A third wrote: "Anna Kendrick couldn’t have answered this better."

Someone else added: "She's a pro."

Another Simple Favour is set to hit Amazon Prime Video on 1 May.