Blake Lively files sexual harassment complaint against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni

Topline

Blake Lively filed a complaint on Friday accusing “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and conducting a smear campaign against her after Lively and Baldoni – whose attorney denied the claims – apparently had an argument during production.

Baldoni’s lawyers condemned the complaint as “shameful” after the co-stars appeared to argue with each other … (+) during production.

Performance

Important facts

Lively, who has filed a complaint with the California Department of Civil Rights, claims that the cast and crew of “It Ends With Us” held an “all-hands meeting” on January 4, 2024, to address the inappropriate behavior and hostile work environment to discuss what Lively, her collaborators and other cast and crew members experienced “in the hands” of Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath, the CEO of Wayfarer Studios.

Several demands were made during the meeting, including Blake’s request that he no longer show her videos or images of naked women, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged past “pornography addiction,” no more discussions of “sexual conquests” in front of Blake and others, The File According to the film, the genitals of the cast and crew, as well as Blake’s dead father, are no longer mentioned.

Lively requested that Baldoni not include any additional sex scenes, oral sex scenes, or “on-camera climaxes” beyond what was already in the script.

In response to Lively’s requests and demands at the plenary meeting, Baldoni launched a public relations campaign aimed at “social manipulation” that would “destroy” Lively’s reputation, the lawsuit says.

The smear campaign aimed to publicly demonstrate that Lively had a “not exactly good reputation,” examined the spread of stories about her in the media – including a DailyMail story titled “Is Blake Lively CANCELED?” Lively was mistakenly responsible for the production staff losing their jobs.

Bryan Freedman, an attorney representing Baldoni and Wayfarer, called the complaint “shameful” and full of “categorically false allegations” in a statement to Variety.

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Crucial quote

Lively told Deadline she hopes the complaint “helps lift the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak out about wrongdoing and protect others who may be targeted.”

Big number

100 million dollars. That’s how much billionaire Wayfarer co-founder Steve Sarowitz said he was willing to spend to “ruin the lives of Lively and her family,” the lawsuit says.

Surprising fact

Lively faced criticism on social media while promoting “It End With Us.” Many accused the star of avoiding the film’s subject of domestic violence. However, in the run-up to the film’s release, Lively and other cast members said they promoted the film in accordance with an agreed-upon marketing strategy that directed cast members to focus on the “strength and resilience” of Lively’s character, according to the complaint as a story about domestic violence. Lively also accuses Baldoni of deviating from the marketing plan and instead promoting topics like domestic violence and “survival content” to protect his image.

Important background

Rumors of misconduct and alleged drama during the production of It Ends With Us circulated online in the months leading up to the film’s release. Fans on social media noted that Lively and Baldoni rarely appeared together on the press tour, while others noted that several cast members and Colleen Hoover — the author of the novel on which the film is based — unfollowed Baldoni on social media. During post-production, Baldoni reportedly hired a crisis PR manager who specializes in public relations and reputation management. Some It Ends With Us cast members took to social media to respond to the dramatic allegations, including Brandon Sklenar, who wrote that the claims “should not distract from our intentions in making this film.” Both Baldoni and Lively also alluded to disagreements on set, although it wasn’t immediately clear whether any conflict arose.

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