It’s Blake Lively’s world, and we’re just living in it. Director, producer, mixologist and entrepreneur, are all of the many hats that Blake Lively has been wearing lately. Known for her various roles in films such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Green Lantern, The Age of Adaline, The Shallows, The Rhythm Section and my personal favorite, A Simple Favor, Blake Lively is a princess of the silver screen. Also known for her iconic role of Serena van der Woodsen, everyone’s favorite it-girl in Gossip Girl, Lively has spent the last few months working on additional projects, and has been incredibly successful in doing so.
One of Lively’s first ventures was a joint project with longtime friend Taylor Swift who re-released her album Red (Taylor’s Version) in November of 2021. A teaser was released on both Taylor Swift’s and Blake Lively’s Instagram pages, hinting that a music video for Swift’s song “I Bet You Think About Me” was coming. The music video was written by Swift and Lively, and the teaser read that Lively had directed the music video. Swift then later released a TikTok praising Lively for her work on the project. The video starred Swift and actor Miles Teller as well as his wife Keleigh Sperry-Teller in which Teller had visions of Swift on his wedding day.
The satirical tone of the video takes playful jabs at a man that can only think about his ex-lover even on his wedding day. Lively brought the song to life through scenes of Swift sitting at the kids’ table, grabbing a slice of cake with her bare hands and Swift painting the wedding her signature color red. The video was filled with Easter eggs that fans have since tried to make meaning of, as Swift is infamous for dropping subtle hints of past and future projects in her music. Lively also was in on Swift’s antics and has since posted other Instagrams referencing the music video and the album. Since the video’s release in November, it has reached 33 million views and has charted on the Hot 100. Not too shabby for her directorial debut.
Fast forward to the present and Lively has earned her first two Academy of Country Music nominations for producing and directing a potential Video of the Year. When asked about this accomplishment, Lively joked, “It wasn’t on my vision board.” The Academy of Country Music Awards will air on April 24, 2022 from Las Vegas, so here’s hoping for a win for Lively and Swift.
In addition, Lively has also been busy with the launch of her new company Betty Buzz, a collection of mixers that can be enjoyed on their own or with alcohol. Lively has been vocal about her preference to not drink in the past, and it was her mission with starting this company that the mixers would provide an alternative for people who also preferred not to drink. Her mixers were met with high praise from magazine publications, including People and Martha Stewart, for their taste and their adorable packaging. The flavors include Tonic Water, Sparkling Lemon Lime, Lemon Club Soda, Sparkling Grapefruit and Ginger Beer. Lively thought of absolutely everything when developing these products, as they are made with no artificial flavors, sweeteners or colors, and are vegan, Kosher and crafted in the United States.
One thing is for certain, Blake Lively can do anything she puts her mind to, and I for one can not wait to see what project she tackles next. Whether it be a new movie or another music video, we can expect that she will not be wasting any time finishing her next masterpiece.
