Justin Baldoni has nothing but positive things to say about his new leading lady.

The Jane the Virgin alum couldn’t help but heap praise on Blake Lively while reflecting on working with the actress on the romantic drama film It Ends With Us.

“I don’t know if you know how smart and creative she really is,” Justin, who wrote and directed the movie, said on Today Aug. 8 about the actress, who plays his troubled character’s love interest in the movie. “I think she’s best known as an actress and of course she’s a fashion icon, but she is so much more than that.”

In addition to playing female lead Lily Bloom the film, based on Colleen Hoover‘s 2016 novel of the same name, Blake also served as a producer on the film alongside executive producer Justin.

As he explained, “She is a dynamic, creative, she had her hands in every part of this production, and everything she touched, she made better.”