Justin Baldoni Claims Ryan Reynolds ‘Berated’ Him in Defense of Blake Lively: NYT Lawsuit
Justin Baldoni is accusing Blake Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds of “berating” him after he allegedly inquired about her weight before filming a scene where he’d carry her.
In Tuesday’s legal filing against the New York Times, Baldoni claims that Reynolds accused him of “fat-shaming” Lively and that the “inappropriate” berating came after Baldoni allegedly “asked his trainer… how much Lively weighed” for a scene where Baldoni would need to lift the actress for the film It Ends With Us. Citing his alleged back issues, Baldoni claims he made the ask “to ensure he could safely perform the lift without injury.”
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“Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, had aggressively berated Baldoni during a meeting at their penthouse in New York, accusing him of ‘fat shaming’ Lively,” reads the lawsuit. “Baldoni, in an effort to avoid further confrontation with Lively and Reynolds and rebuild rapport with his co-star, continued to bend to her will.”
The lawsuit later adds: “The confrontation that followed was so aggressive that Baldoni felt compelled to offer repeated apologies.”
Baldoni claims that Lively “refused to perform the lift scene,” even though they had already “rehearsed with a stunt double,” according to the lawsuit. The suit also alleges that Reynolds “made unauthorized changes to the script in secret,” in conjunction with Lively’s own altering of the script, which would allegedly “disrupt the production schedule.”
A rep for Reynolds — who also represents Lively — did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment on the Reynolds allegation. However, they previously sent a statement on behalf of Lively’s attorneys noting that “nothing in this lawsuit changes anything” about Lively’s claims against Baldoni.
The Reynolds allegations were included in a lawsuit from Baldoni — and nine other plaintiffs, including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel — accusing the newspaper of libel and false light invasion of privacy over a Dec. 21 story based on Lively’s allegations against her It Ends With Us co-star. The original Times story, which included alleged screenshots of conversations between Baldoni’s publicists, focused on claims of a smear campaign built against Lively online.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, a Times spokesperson defended the article as being “meticulously and responsibly reported” and said it would “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
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