Brandon Sklenar has spoken candidly about the challenges of sudden fame following his role in It Ends With Us. The 35-year-old actor, who portrayed Atlas Corrigan in the 2024 film adaptation, shared his experience in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Read More: Sydney Sweeney gives honest career advice to aspiring actors
Although Sklenar’s role was relatively small, the film significantly increased his public profile. This visibility, he explained, brought unexpected scrutiny and a wave of online abuse that left him alarmed.
During the film’s August 2024 press tour, Sklenar posted a message on Instagram urging fans to embrace kindness and empathy. He intended to focus attention on the themes of the movie rather than targeting anyone personally.
Brandon Sklenar talks crazy ride in “The Housemaid” and how Blake Lively helped him land the role! pic.twitter.com/A5mSUeYxUO
— ExtraTV (@extratv) December 16, 2025
🚨 Lively vs Baldoni adjacent coverage: Triple confirmation from Blandon himself that “lovely” Blake helped him get the role in Paul Feig’s newest movie, Housemaid. In an unsealed deposition, Justin was questioned about how Spineless Sklenar snitched on him to Jenny Slate. https://t.co/gUQqSo4HIP pic.twitter.com/zFhkXfmUMh
— Little Nomad (@PastNomad) December 16, 2025
“I wasn’t damning anybody, but I was just like, ‘Can we focus on the ethos of this whole movie and not be so hateful to anybody?’ I thought it was a nice thing to say, but apparently a lot of people did not feel that way,” he told THR.
The backlash, Sklenar said, was immediate and harsh, with strangers sending messages like, “I hope you die,” and “You’re a piece of s–t.” The intensity of the response prompted his agent to advise him to stay off social media.
Sklenar compared the experience to standing outside a room filled with hundreds of thousands of people all shouting about him. “Imagine you’re walking down a hallway and there’s a door to a room full of a hundred thousand people and they’re all saying something about you,” he said.
The actor’s reflections highlight the pressures faced by performers who become targets of public controversies. Even those promoting positive messages can find themselves at the center of intense online scrutiny.
Read More: Justin Baldoni hires crisis PR manager amid feud rumours
Through sharing his story, Sklenar sheds light on the emotional toll of fame and the responsibility of audiences to engage thoughtfully. He emphasized that empathy and understanding remain crucial, both on-screen and off.