Now that It Ends With Us is finally here, we take a closer look at the movie's director, Justin Baldoni and his wife, Swede Emily Baldoni, who also had a hand in the film. Below, find the low-down on everything you need to know about the actor
It Ends With Us, the hotly anticipated romance-drama starring and co-produced by Blake Lively, alongside Justin Baldoni – who also directed the film – made a splashy debut in theatres this past weekend. Based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, the film has been generating plenty of buzz lately, fuelled by Lively’s fashion-forward press tour appearances that perfectly capture her florist character in full bloom, along with whispers of a potential rift between the cast.
But currently, our attention is focused on Justin and his Swedish wife, Emily Baldoni. They recently travelled to Uppsala, Sweden, with their kids in tow to celebrate the movie’s premiere. Below, we dive into everything you need to know about Emily and her Scandinavian roots.
She is from Uppsala
Although she now calls Los Angeles home, Emily originally hails from Uppsala, a charming city about an hour north of Stockholm. The 40-year-old Swede relocated to Hollywood in 2005, but she and her family often visit the historic town.
During their most recent trip, Justin shared a sweet TikTok clip of the whole family slipping into a Uppsala cinema to soak up the It Ends With Us opening weekend atmosphere, with one lucky audience even receiving a surprise greeting from Justin.
She is an actor...
After arriving in Hollywood, Emily wasted no time pursuing her acting dreams. Her first film credit came in the 2005 short The Elephant’s Room. From there, the budding actor’s career quickly gained momentum, with roles in popular TV shows like How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Bones, and The Mentalist. However, Emily is best known for her lead part in the 2013 mystery film Coherence and her portrayal of Julie in the heart-wrenching 2019 romance drama Five Feet Apart, directed by Justin.
As for if we see Emily in It Ends With Us? The answer is yes. In the movie, she plays Dr. Julie, one of the doctors caring for Lily (played by Lively) at the hospital, meaning she has been closely involved in her husband’s latest project.
Emily and Justin Baldoni at the 'It Ends With Us' premiere in New York City. Photo: Getty
and also an entrepreneur!
Apart from her impressive acting chops, Emily also has an entrepreneurial spirit as the co-founder of We Are Amma, a company that designs innovative 7-in-1 nursing covers, which have become a hit among new mums.
Additionally, she and Justin founded the Skid Row Carnival of Love, an annual event that, until its closure in 2022 due to the pandemic, supported the homeless in downtown Los Angeles by providing food for thousands, live music, and fostering a strong sense of community.
She married Justin in 2013
After a magical proposal at Blu Jam Cafe, where the couple had their first date, went viral (the YouTube video now has 14 million views), Emily and Justin married in 2013. The wedding took place in Corona, California, and was an intimate, romance-filled day, with heartfelt vows – a snippet of which was later shared on YouTube.
Earlier in July, the couple celebrated their 11th anniversary, with Justin posting a sentimental tribute on Instagram that included a quote from the poet Rumi: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right-doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there,” followed by “Happy 11 years, my love.”
They share two kids
In June 2015, Justin and Emily welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Maiya Grace. Two years later, they celebrated the arrival of their son, Maxwell Roland-Samuel Baldoni. For both pregnancy announcements, the couple shared videos on YouTube – their favourite way to share big news, it seems – capturing the joyful moments as they surprised their loved ones. In a 2019 interview with Mini Magazine, they spoke highly of each other’s parenting skills. “Justin has an incredible way of bringing magic to the smallest moments,” Emily said. “The kids’ eyes light up whenever he comes into the room.”
Whether the couple’s children will follow in their parents’ footsteps into the movie business remains to be seen, but eagle-eyed viewers can spot Maiya and Maxwell skipping through the farmers market in the It Ends With Us epilogue sequence.