Another Simple Favor’s unhinged ending wouldn’t have happened without Blake Lively’s “bravery”

2025’s best movie experience might come from the most unexpected place. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Another Simple Favor’s crazy ending, and the shock’s all thanks to Blake Lively.

As far as satisfying movie endings go, A Simple Favor is definitely up there. The 2018 hit ends with Emily (Blake Lively) being caught out at her own game, admitting all of her crimes to mommy blogger Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), who’s live-streaming the whole thing on a button camera.

When one of the school dads mows her down while trying to escape, Emily seemingly meets her maker when she gets arrested. But seven years later, that’s not the full end of the story. After Emily is released on bail while appealing her charges, the pair reunite in Capri for Emily’s wedding. Stephanie is convinced it’s a set-up, but even her new true crime-solving skills can’t predict what’s going to happen next.

By the time you’ve binged Another Simple Favor, you’ll be wondering what on Earth you just watched. Its shocking ending takes a complete left turn, yet Lively – who it all hinges on – didn’t need any convincing. 

Blake Lively didn’t need much convincing for Another Simple Favor’s shock ending

Speaking to Dexerto, Another Simple Favor director Paul Feig explained how much Lively was up for revealing Hope (aka Emily) and Faith’s third twin, Charity, was actually alive. 

Lionsgate

“It was a team effort with the writers and myself,” Feig said. “Blake is such a brave performer, and she’s like, ‘if you think this will work, let’s go for it.’ So we went for it.”

And went for it they did. Stephanie soon discovers Emily’s aunt Linda (Allison Janney) kept Charity all to herself, telling Margaret (Elizabeth Perkins) she’d died in childbirth. Charity helped Linda to con a series of men throughout her life, each of whom ended up dead.

Given Emily was marrying into Mafia money, Linda saw the wedding as her retirement pot. The plan was to bump off groom Dante (Michele Morrone) and ex-husband Sean (Henry Golding), get rid of Emily, and let Charity – and therefore Linda – take everything Dante’s family has.

Thanks to Stephanie and Emily working together, this doesn’t happen, but that doesn’t stop some pretty insane things from playing out in the meantime. Charity is a physical touch-starved sister, meaning she gets pretty… intimate… with twin Emily. After the secret Stephanie admits to Emily in the first movie, it means Stephanie finally has a fitting nickname to roast her back with (IYKYK). 

But did Feig know any of this Charity madness would happen during the first movie? If you remember, we’re explicitly told she’s dead while Hope and Faith are busy killing their abusive father, and later when Faith is killed by Hope. 

“I will honestly say no, because I didn’t ever do sequels normally,” Feig confirmed. “The first one felt like, ‘Okay, and now it’s done.’ But that’s a great thing about storytelling and life in general. There’s never an ending until you die, basically. 

“These characters were all alive at the end, and it was fun to take them in a different direction. The inspiration was just to take Stephanie and throw her into a completely different world. And I think that’s where all the fun comes from.”

Another Simple Favor is streaming on Prime Video now. For more, catch up with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell dating rumors, why Blake Lively is suing Justin Baldoni, and anticipated 2025 releases you cannot miss.