Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Another Simple Favor.Another Simple Favor director Paul Feig explains why Charity was after Stephanie Smothers. During the sequel, Stephanie and Emily Nelson (portrayed by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, respectively) are reunited for a lavish, and seemingly unexpected, Italian wedding between Emily and Dante Versano. Amid more murders and another puzzling investigation, the movie reveals that Charity is alive. The presumably deceased McLanden triplet impersonates Emily and, while Another Simple Favor unravels, confronts and kisses Stephanie.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Feig addressed the kiss between Charity and Stephanie, revealing that Kendrick and Lively were on board. He clarified that, since Charity was posing as Emily, she was leaning into and exploring that dynamic, and the resulting moment with Stephanie became “a very natural thing.” Read Feig’s comments below:

Everybody was into it. Blake and Anna were so game for doing it. Charity is so trying to live Emily's life, but she was denied that sister. So, she's discovering what she thinks is Emily's life. To her, she knows there was this relationship between Stephanie and Emily. She's acting it out, trying to pretend to be Emily, and it just felt like a very natural thing to have her do that.

Feig also discussed the surprising Charity and Emily kiss from Another Simple Favor, explaining that Lively was unsure about it originally. Read more of his comments below:

When I first told Blake about this new storyline, she was like, 'Okay, I trust you. I'm not sure about it, but I will trust you.' And she went for it.

What This Means For Another Simple Favor

How Well Does Charity Know Emily?

The shocking Charity twist in Another Simple Favor happens when she approaches Stephanie, claiming to have already turned her into the Italian police for the murders of Dante and Sean Townsend. Once Charity kisses her, Stephanie recognizes that she is only pretending to be Emily, made more apparent by her missing tattoo. Having been announced dead at birth and raised by Linda, Charity was used by her aunt for years, then became part of a plan that involved marrying Dante and acquiring Versano money.

Charity wanted to develop a closer bond with Emily, having been deprived of a sisterly relationship growing up, which gave her separate motivation to incriminate Stephanie and commit murders. As she explained, Charity was able to sense whatever Emily/Hope and Faith were going through, leading to a scene where she sedates Emily and kisses her. However, Charity may not know her sister as well as she thought, as evidenced by how uncomfortable she seemed to make Emily during that moment.

Our Take On Another Simple Favor

Introducing Charity Makes Things Interesting

When Charity originally confronted Stephanie, she nearly exposed herself and potentially signaled some of her rationale. However, it was her kiss that eventually gave Charity’s identity away. By establishing her character, Another Simple Favor keeps the mystery interesting and expands on what audiences know about Emily and her family.

Linda and Charity attempting to impersonate Emily as a means of gaining power could have worked, if not for Stephanie, and it is interesting to see how teaming up affected the friendship between Emily and Stephanie.

Source: EW