Blake Lively Explains Friend Taylor Swift's Connection to Her New Movie “It Ends with Us”

Taylor Swift writes songs “from such personal experiences and vulnerability,” says Blake Lively

Blake Lively says her new movie and pal Taylor Swift are a perfect match.

It Ends With Us (in theaters Aug. 9), the romance drama adapted from Colleen Hoover's hit book that stars Lively, 36, and director Justin Baldoni, features Swift’s song “My Tears Ricochet” in its official trailer.

“Them together made a lot of sense,” said Lively at a recent Q&A panel for Book Bonanza, an annual event co-founded by Hoover, 44.

Related: Taylor Swift and Blake Lively's Friendship Timeline

“My Tears Ricochet” comes from 2020's Grammy Award-winning Folklore, the eighth studio album from Swift, 34. Produced with Jack Antonoff and then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, its lyrics evoke a dead woman haunting her murderer: “I didn't have it in myself to go with grace / And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves / You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same.”

Lively, who is both executive producer and star of It Ends With Us, suggested that the song’s lyrics fit Hoover’s story about her character, a woman reckoning with a cycle of domestic abuse. “Colleen is able to tell something that’s deeply personal and intimate but is able to resonate with so many people,” explained the Gossip Girl star. “And Taylor, she’s such an incredible writer. She writes from such personal experiences and vulnerability.”

Both Hoover and Swift are linked as “women who are authoring their stories,” she added, marveling at “what Taylor’s done with her life and career.” And Hoover, she noted, “started [her novelist career] self-published.”

Related: Blake Lively 'Exceeded All My Expectations' in It Ends with Us, Raves Author Colleen Hoover (Exclusive)

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Also in the Book Bonanza panel, Lively explained why she felt connected to her protagonist Lily Bloom. “It’s important to love the character you’re playing and to understand her and just feel her heart and soul,” she said.

She teased that “every single person in this movie is a revelation.” It Ends With Us, adapted for the screen by Christy Hall, costars Jenny Slate, Brandon Sklenar, Isabela Ferrer, Alex Neustaedter, Amy Morton and Hasan Minhaj.

Related: 'It Ends With Us' Author Addresses Controversy Surrounding Casting of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni

Speaking with PEOPLE about the film in April, Lively said, "Lily resonated with an enormous amount of people, as the success of the book made clear… Stepping into a character who’s had such a meaningful impact is an honor to take on."

It Ends With Us is in theaters Aug 9.

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