Blake Lively has taken legal action against Justin Baldoni, the director and male lead of the summer box-office hit It Ends with Us. Reports suggest that significant tension developed between the two during filming, which became evident during the movie's promotional tour. According to TMZ, the lawsuit filed in court accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against Lively. Baldoni's lawyer vehemently denies the allegations.
The legal documents reportedly mention a meeting held during the shoot intended to address grievances Lively claims were caused by Baldoni's behavior. Present at the meeting was Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds. During the discussion, Lively reportedly outlined several demands, including that Baldoni stop showing her explicit images of naked women, refrain from discussing his past sexual conquests and struggles with pornography addiction, avoid making comments about the cast and crew's anatomy, cease discussions about Lively’s weight, and never again mention her late father.
Lively also allegedly insisted during this meeting that no additional sex scenes be added to the film beyond those in the original script, which she had agreed to when signing on. According to the lawsuit, the studio accepted Lively's terms, but the movie ultimately underperformed, partly due to creative disagreements over its tone. Lively reportedly pushed for a focus on her character's resilience in a more uplifting narrative, while Baldoni wanted to emphasize themes of domestic violence.
The lawsuit further alleges that Baldoni retaliated by launching a "social manipulation" campaign to damage Lively's reputation. TMZ reports that the suit includes messages from Baldoni’s publicist to the studio discussing efforts to harm Lively's image. Lively claims this negative campaign caused her significant personal and emotional distress, affecting her family as well.
Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, responded to the suit by stating that Lively's accusations are false, harsh, and intentionally inflammatory, designed to harm Baldoni’s public image. He also described working with Lively as a nightmare, alleging she frequently threatened not to appear on set or promote the film.
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