It Ends With Us fans applaud Justin Baldoni over 'empathetic and responsible' act amid Blake Lively drama

Actor and director Justin Baldoni has penned a touching letter to survivors of domestic abuse amid the ongoing drama with It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively - with fans praising him for his 'empathetic and responsible' efforts. 

The 40-year-old Hollywood actor has been at the center of headlines after starring and directing in the movie based on the Colleen Hoover book of the same name, which follows Lily Bloom (played by Blake) through an abusive relationship. 

Although It Ends With Us, which hit theaters on August 9, was highly anticipated by film fanatics and book lovers, it was met with a fierce wave of controversy as rumors of a feud between Blake and Justin continued to heighten. 

As Justin's costar Blake has been furiously scrutinized online for not speaking out enough about domestic abuse, the 40-year-old has let victims know that he is here to support them on their difficult journey in a moving letter shared to Instagram. 

In collaboration with Survivor Love Letter, which is an organization that posts letters addressed to domestic violence survivors, he voiced his solidarity by telling victims that they were 'inspiring' and sent them 'gratitude, strength and love.' 

The powerful letter read: 'Dear Survivor, You embody resilience and courage, qualities that shine bright even on the darkest days. In the tapestry of your life, each thread tells a story of endurance, strength, and hope. 

'Every step forward you take, no matter how small, is a declaration of your unyielding spirit and an inspiration to others. Every step forward you take, no matter how small, is a declaration of your unyielding spirit and an inspiration to others. 

'You may not always see the impact you have, but your journey encourages and motivates, lighting the path for those of us still searching for the light. While I can never fully understand your pain and all you have endured, I want you to know that you are never alone in this fight. We are with you.' 

At the end of the note, Justin encouraged survivors to continue 'thriving' as he sent them a flood of 'love and strength.'

He added: 'You are not just surviving; you are thriving, and in your thriving, you inspire us all. May your journey forward be filled with moments of profound peace. And may you remember that as you fight for joy… you are liberating us all.

'Sending you gratitude, strength, and love.'

The uplifting letter pulled on heart strings as people on the web applauded the actor for speaking out. 

One fan wrote: 'This is the proper way to handle a domestic violence project. You sincerely care about the victims and it shows.'

Another user added: 'I don't think you understand how much your words mean to me and to so many, Justin. Thank you.'

Someone else commented: 'Thank you for being so empathetic and responsible in your promotional efforts of this film. It speaks volumes to your character and your desire to make a change for survivors.'

'This survivor didn't know how much I needed to read this. Puddle of tears. But thank you for this,' another person said. 

For the past month, Blake has faced criticism for how she has promoted the film amid allegations of a rumored rift with Justin, who plays her on-screen love interest, after the actors took part in separate promotional work on the summer hit and are said to not be talking.

The drama began with rumors of onset tension between the stars after Blake allegedly felt Justin was 'fat-shaming' her when he asked his personal trainer for guidance on how to protect his back during a scene in which he had to lift her.

That animosity appears to have poured out into post-production and publicity to the extent, with Blake now being accused of 'bullying' Justin out of his first major movie. 

Additionally, the Gossip Girl alum endured backlash over her past 'mean girl' behavior and comments in multiple resurfaced interviews over the years, including her 'humiliating' words to one reporter. 

Amid the drama, award-winning journalist Kjersti posted the old interview to her YouTube channel, which she titled, 'The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job.'

'First of all, congrats on your little bump,' Kjersti, who is the founder of Content Now TV, gushed during the chat.

'Congrats on your little bump,' Blake fired back, as the interviewer giggled nervously.

After the moment went viral, Kjersti told DailyMail.com exclusively that Blake's response was especially hurtful because she cannot conceive.

'[Her comment] left me almost paralyzed. To be honest it hurts because I obviously wasn't pregnant and I could never get pregnant so to me that comment was like a bullet,' she shared. 

'I didn't know how to react. I felt very uncomfortable throughout the interview and all I wanted to do was leave and get out of there as fast as I could. 

'It made me feel like a complete failure. I kept going through the interview in my head afterwards trying to figure out what I had said or done to make them behave like that. It made no sense to me.'

She said Blake made her feel 'belittled and ignored' throughout the entire sit-down, and ultimately, it resulted in her questioning if she 'ever wanted to do these types of interviews again.'

A source has previously told DailyMail.com that Justin and Blake may never work together again following their It Ends With Us feud. 

'It's hard to imagine Justin wanting to work with Blake - or vice versa - after all this bad blood. Whatever started this feud, there certainly has been no obvious rapprochement between the pair,' the industry insider said.

It Ends With Us has already taken in more than $180 million worldwide, showing a massive profit for the movie that cost only $25 million to make and so the ready-made sequel would normally follow.

But Colleen has sided with Blake – which is a problem because Justin's company has already bought the rights to It Starts With Us, according to insiders.

Blake is said to be in a fit of tears over her new mean girl image and is desperately searching for a way to correct the situation.