Blake’s older sister, who plays a supporting role in the film, called her younger sibling “one of the best humans I know.”

It’s been a strange few weeks for Blake Lively. Since her movie It Ends With Us was released on August 9, it has become her highest-grossing film to date—earning more than $242 million worldwide—while inspiring intense off-screen speculation about alleged behind-the-scenes issues.

Over the weekend, as the actor spent her birthday amid star-studded company at Taylor Swift’s house in Rhode Island, her sister Robyn celebrated the day by praising her younger sibling on social media. On Sunday, Robyn shared multiple photos of herself and Blake, writing, “That’s my bday queen right there!” Alongside pictures of the pair posing on the beach, taking selfies, and smiling as children, Robyn wrote, “I love this girl, my sister, my best friend, my little piggy back buddy! You are one of the best humans I know. HAPPY birthday sissy britches!”

The elder Lively, best known for 1989’s Teen Witch, also plays a small role in the big-screen adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 bestseller. Controversy has surrounded the movie since Blake and her co-star/director Justin Baldoni seemingly avoided each other at the film’s New York premiere. Lively also does not follow Baldoni on social media (nor does Hoover or fellow cast member Jenny Slate), and she hasn’t directly mentioned him in press for the project.
While rumors about what caused the alleged rift abound, Lively has found her reputation called into question over the perception that she has downplayed the film’s darker themes of domestic violence in interviews, a topic Baldoni frequently mentions during promotional obligations, while apparently using the project as an opportunity to boost her own brands. After the backlash, Lively included a link to the National Domestic Violence Hotline on her Instagram Story and called It Ends With Us “a story of the female experience.”

The day after her Instagram post, Sony Pictures chief Tony Vinciquerra praised Lively for “advancing the conversation around domestic violence,” telling The Hollywood Reporter, in part, “Blake, Colleen, and so many women put so much effort into this remarkable movie, working selflessly from the start to ensure that such an important subject matter was handled with care. Audiences love the movie. We love working with Blake, and we want to do 12 more movies with her.”

On August 20, Brandon Sklenar—who plays Lively’s other love interest, Atlas, in the film—attempted to “address all this stuff swirling online” via Instagram. “Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves,” he began. “Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. It is, in fact, the opposite of the point. What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film. It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.”

In the comments section of Robyn’s birthday post, one user wrote, “Blake is a lovely human being!! I hope she knows that the multitudes of people who love her is so much greater than the negative voices. Happy birthday Blake!!” Her sister replied, “Thank you for this,” alongside the raised-hands and red-heart emojis.