Did Alexis Bledel and Blake Lively Get Along?

Amber Tamblyn, Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel, and America Ferrera bonded very quickly.

Turns out, when filming The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the four gals bonded almost immediately. “I think fans would be surprised to know that those four actors were strangers to each other when they first met, because almost instantly they created this sense of a lifelong friendship, such a lived-in relationship,” director Ken Kwapis said in an interview with EW. “I gave each of the four actors $75, and I instructed them to go to a thrift store in Vancouver where we were shooting, and their job was to buy something in character and to advise the others about what they should buy in character.”

And it was a wildly successful outing! “The four actors came back and they reported that it was a remarkable bonding experience for them, during which they developed a kind of great shorthand that they used in their few scenes together,” he continued.

And Alexis Bledel loved working with Blake Lively from the beginning.

“I remember Blake’s audition because we read with her,” Alexis told EW. “She was very honest and raw. Her character goes through so much, so she had to do a very difficult audition. She just knocked it out of the park, and we were like, ‘Please hire her.’”

“We were finding any excuse that we could to hang out with each other,” Blake added. “I was still in show choir in high school, and the girls would come to my show-choir performances at school.”

And they continue to “find excuses” to hang out — including helping announce each other’s pregnancy like in the photo above!

And after the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni began, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants cast published a statement in support of Blake.

“As Blake’s friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” the statement reads. “Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.”

“Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding,” they continue. “We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can still face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe work environment. We are inspired by our sister’s courage to stand up for herself and others.”