Blake Lively doesn’t just serve style—she also serves a wicked backhand. Fans might remember her sending a ping pong table to the set of Deadpool & Wolverine (available to stream with a Disney+ subscription) to entertain husband Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and director Shawn Levy. Well, it turns out she’s not just the gift-giver. She’s a full-on competitor. It seems the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants alum enjoys a good round, too.
During a brief break from promoting her 2025 movie schedule release, Another Simple Favor, Lively found time for a little lawn-side table tennis showdown with co-star Michele Morrone—and the photos are pure gold. Via an Instagram post, the Shallows star recapped her Austin adventures during the SXSW Film & TV Festival and dropped a few snaps of the ping pong match that has fans like me wondering: Is Lively the real MVP of press tour downtime?
The match went down in a cool shaded courtyard surrounded by buildings, and I can’t think of a better way to spend downtime. Lively showed up in a bold Prabal Gurung dress with cute floral appliqués, and she didn’t even take off her Christian Louboutin heels. Morrone, on the other hand, nailed the referee look with a black-and-white striped shirt and nice tailored pants. We don’t know who won but, judging by their faces, it was a mix of fierce competition and a lot of fun.
Blake Lively’s caption was a heartfelt farewell to the Austin leg of the Another Simple Favor journey: “Final Austin roundup for [A Simple Favor] I know how fortunate I am to work with each of you. Thank you to my friends and loved ones for making this weekend so special. Ok. Back to sweatpants now. That was fun.”
After Another Simple Favor premiered at SXSW, the first reactions to the mystery film hit social media, and folks began sharing their thoughts. It sounds like the movie has a lot of the same twisty plot craziness as the first one, but maybe it’s not as fun this time around.
There’s also been a lot of BTS chatter about ASF regarding awkward vibes between the two leading ladies. Anna Kendrick allegedly wasn’t super excited about working with Blake Lively again, which showed in her three-word comment that got around. So, it might be a good idea not to get your hopes up for a third movie in the Simple Favor series, at least at this point.
Still, we will always have this wonderful ping-pong match and, honestly, it’s the perfect full-circle moment. First, Lively gifts ping pong as a stress-buster for her superhero husband and his co-stars and, now, she’s using the same game to unwind from her own whirlwind premiere weekend. We stan the consistency.
Between her glamorous press appearances and her willingness to dive into a quick game in heels, Blake Lively continues to prove she’s the kind of A-lister who clearly knows how to make a press tour feel like a party.
Beginning May 1, Another Simple Favor will be available to stream from the comfort of your own home with an Amazon Prime Video subscription.
