In a bombshell legal complaint, Blake Lively has accused It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment on set and strategising a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.
According to the complaint, which was filed on Friday per The New York Times as a precursor to a lawsuit, Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment as well as embarking on a “multi-tiered plan” with Wayfarer Studios — who produced It Ends With Us — to damage her reputation following a meeting they had to address “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour” on set.
Per the BBC, the legal filing states the meeting occurred on January 4, 2024, and aimed to address “the hostile work environment” of the It Ends With Us set. The filing also claimed that Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, attended the meeting.
Lively’s lawyers accused Baldoni and Jamey Heath, a film producer of It Ends With Us, of engaging in “inappropriate and unwelcome behaviour towards Ms Lively and others on the set of It Ends With Us” prior to the meeting.
According to the complaint, Lively listed 30 demands after the tense meeting that she claims Baldoni and others agreed to, which addressed the alleged hostile work environment on set.
What were the demands Blake Lively made for It Ends With Us?
Some of the demands made by Lively included that the pair no longer share descriptions of their genitalia with the actor or other crew members, no discussions about porn or sexual sex lives, Baldoni should stop asking Lively about her religious beliefs, Baldoni should not ask Lively’s trainer about her weight, and “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex, or on camera climaxing by BL [Blake Lively] outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project”.
An intimacy coordinator was also required on set when Lively and Baldoni shared a scene.
It’s also alleged that Lively demanded that Baldoni stop saying he could speak to her dead father, Ernie Lively.
“It was off-putting and violative for Ms. Baldoni to claim a personal relationship with her recently deceased father,” the complaint reads.
Alleged plans to “destroy” Blake Lively’s reputation
Alongside these allegations, Lively’s lawyers have accused Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of making up a plan to destroy her reputation.
The complaint reportedly included alleged messages between Baldoni and his publicity team regarding social media tactics to push back on Lively’s complaints if they were shared with the press ahead of the movie’s release.
In August, when rumours of a feud between Baldoni and Lively reached boiling point, it was reported that the director hired top crisis public relationships manager Melissa Nathan, who has been known to work with Johnny Depp, Logan Paul and Drake.
“Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates embarked on a sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation for Ms. Lively exercising her legally-protected right to speak up about their misconduct on the set, with the additional objective of intimidating her and anyone else from revealing in public what actually occurred,” the complaint alleges.
The complaint also referred to an alleged “spin operation” that included recruiting subcontractors who “weaponized a digital army around the country from New York to Los Angeles to create, seed, and promote content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums”.
Justin Baldoni denies allegations
Following the legal filing, Baldoni’s legal team has issued a statement, denying Lively’s accusations.
“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,” Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, said in a statement to Variety.
“These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”
Further in the statement, Freedman claimed the studio “proactively” hired the crisis manager “due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production which included her threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.”
Blake Lively releases statement following legal complaint
In a statement to The New York Times, which was the first to publish Lively’s full complaint, Lively said: “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.”
According to Deadline, Baldoni has been dropped by his talent agency WME, following the explosive allegations made in Lively’s complaint.
Image source: Getty Images
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