Matt Rogers Says His It Ends With Us Audition Was ‘So Funny’

Comedian and Fire Island actor Matt Rogers went against type while auditioning for the role of one of Blake Lively’s love interests in her new film, It Ends With Us.

During the Wednesday, August 14, episode of his and Bowen Yang’s “Las Culturistas” podcast, Rogers, 34, revealed that he filmed an audition tape for the character Atlas Corrigan.

“I got a new agent, and I think he was trying to send me on atypical things,” Rogers said, noting that he went through a breakup right before the audition.

“I was crying every day, sobbing every day, and I had to cry on this tape — but I also had to be straight,” he said. “I had to manage how to maintain my emotion but also seem like a love interest of Blake Lively, who, by the way, was named Atlas. … Gotta cut it out with this name.”

Rogers explained that it was a difficult balancing act to let his emotions flow freely while trying to play a straight man.

“It was just so funny because me crying as a straight man, I don’t really think plays,” he said. “You’re not supposed to have those checkpoints where you’re thinking too hard about how you’re expressing the emotion, the emotion should just be there. … And you think, ‘Oh, this is a great opportunity to go on tape for something emotional because I am,’ and then it just didn’t match up with whatever.”

Rogers had a laugh looking back on the situation and quipped, “You’re not going to see me making love to Blake Lively in cinema, I don’t think, anytime soon.”

Rogers’ It Ends With Us revelation comes after the film’s Friday, August 9, premiere. Brandon Sklenar ultimately landed the role of Atlas, while Justin Baldoni, who also directed the film, portrayed Lively’s other love interest, Ryle Kincaid.

Multiple outlets have reported on rumors of a falling out between Lively, 36, and Baldoni, 40. Baldoni was noticeably absent from cast photos during the New York City premiere on August 6 and has been removed from much of the movie’s promotion. Fans have also noticed that Lively and the rest of the cast don’t follow Baldoni on social media, although he follows them.

Lively seemingly hinted at creative differences with Baldoni during an interview with Hits Radio UK on Saturday, August 10.

“They begged me to take that song out of the movie,” she said, without identifying who “they” are, when asked about the use of “Cherry” by Lana Del Rey.

“I’m not supposed to be talking about this,” she said. “Because they felt like it was too charged and heavy, and things are still good with Ryle at that point, so you don’t want to feel that charge. And I was like, ‘The moment Atlas enters, things are charged and heavy.’”

Baldoni, who hired crisis PR veteran Melissa Nathan amid the release of It Ends With Us, has had nothing but good things to say about working with Lively. However, he did hint that he has no interest in directing a film adaptation of the book’s sequel.

“I think there are better people for that one,” he told Entertainment Tonight earlier this month. “I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. That’s what I think.”