Blake Lively Sues ‘It Ends With Us’ Co-Star Justin Baldoni for Sexual Harassment
The drama surrounding It Ends With Us has boiled into the courtroom as Blake Lively has sued her co-star and director on the film, Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment on set and coordinating a smear campaign against her following the movie’s tumultuous release.
Rumors of a feud between Lively and Baldoni first became public in early August during the film’s promotional push, with Baldoni conducting solo interviews while Likely was often joined by her other co-stars at junkets and premieres. In interviews, Lively — who also produced the film — gushed about the cast and crew, but never mentioned Baldoni, the director who she also made out with onscreen. A Rolling Stone report soon confirmed the speculation about the behind-the-scenes drama.
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Now, four months after the film’s release, Lively’s lawsuit — which claims “severe emotional distress” from the experience — arrives with an in-depth look at what Lively alleges was a toxic production and movie release. In addition to Baldoni, producers (namely lead producer Jamey Heath) and public relations executive at Wayfarer Studios were also named in the lawsuit, the New York Times reports.
In the lawsuit, first reported by TMZ and obtained by Rolling Stone, Lively alleges that the work environment with Baldoni at the reins became so hostile that an emergency meeting was held with Sony Pictures. A list of demands for Baldoni were then drawn up, per the suit, including that he refrain from talking about his previous “pornography addiction,” sexual conquests, and the cast and crew’s genitalia.
On the film side of things, the lawsuit claims the director was told “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project.” The lawsuit also alleges that lead producer Heath showed Lively video of his wife naked, and watched Lively in her dressing room when she was topless and having body makeup removed. Both Baldoni and Heath also entered Lively’s dressing room uninvited, including when she was breastfeeding, the lawsuit states.
In the aftermath of the film’s troubled production, Lively’s lawsuit alleges that Baldoni, Wayfarer’s publicity department, and a “crisis management” team engaged in a “social manipulation” campaign in an attempt to “destroy” her reputation. The lawsuit also includes alleged messages sent from Baldoni’s publicist that read the director “wants to feel like [Lively] can be buried” and “We can’t write we will destroy her.”
As evidence of the campaign against her, Lively’s lawsuit cited a video uploaded by Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa that showed her contentious 2016 video interview with the actress, a clip that went re-viral in August. As the New York Times notes, Flaa previously posted videos in support of Johnny Depp during that actor’s legal battle with Amber Heard; both Depp and Baldoni were clients of crisis management expert Melissa Nathan, who is also named in the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios foresaw a potential issue when Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds blocked Baldoni on Instagram, resulting in them enlisting a PR firm to deal with brewing problem “head on.”
“Though there are several potential scenarios at play here which we should be prepared for, should BL and her team make her grievances public – via a blatant story or subtle leak,” the PR firm wrote in a strategic document included in the Lively lawsuit.
“Given she was made to compromise with the premiere, we feel she will move forward with doing so. Our recommendation is to get ahead of this narrative, owning any misconceptions and addressing them head on. Ultimately, we need to be ready to take the air out of any story that does arise, as well as commentary and/or background narrative BL and her team put together, without being the louder antagonizer.”
Lively said in a statement to the New York Times, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told Variety in a statement that Lively’s lawsuit was an attempt to “fix her negative reputation,” adding the claims are “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.”
“It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions,” Freedman added.
Lawyers for Baldoni did not respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment at press time, while Lively’s lawyers referred to her statement to the New York Times.
Despite (or perhaps thanks to) the off-screen drama, It Ends With Us still made $350 million at the box office, even though Lively’s lawsuit said the feud marred the success of the movie.
Rolling Stone’s report on the It Ends With Us drama revealed that initial creative differences between the actor/director and the actress/producer eventually ballooned into a full-scale feud.
“Everyone knew that they didn’t like each other,” one crew member told Rolling Stone in August amid the drama following the film’s release. “I don’t think they would work together again. Their styles are way too different. Blake is very business-minded and very practical. Justin … is so on the other side of why he makes art that they were never going to be friends.”
The crew members who spoke with Rolling Stone said that Baldoni and Lively seemed to avoid each other on set, with one source noting they “never saw them together” unless it was absolutely necessary.
It Ends With Us cast members largely remained quiet on the behind-the-scenes drama, though it appeared some have aligned with Lively. One source said “the principal cast and Colleen Hoover will have nothing to do with [Baldoni].”
On Aug. 20, Brandon Sklenar, the actor who plays Lively’s character’s other love interest, Atlas, became the first cast member to speak out on the controversy. In a lengthy Instagram post, Sklenar defended Lively, Hoover, and the other women in the film from any public backlash they’re receiving, saying, “The women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves.”
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