Blake Lively is suing her It Ends with Us co star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment months after rumours of a an on-set feud between the pair percolated online.
The Gossip Girl actor, 37, starred as Lily Bloom in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 romance, who becomes involved with an abusive man, Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni.
In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lively claims Baldoni, who also directed It Ends with Us, exhibited behaviour that caused her “severe emotional distress”.
The lawsuit states there was a meeting attended by individuals including Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni and their lawyers, to address The Age of Adeline star’s claims, per TMZ.
Lively had a number requirements in order for her to work on the film that – according to the lawsuit cited by the outlet – included “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
Additionally, “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,” were other requirements included in the lawsuit, according to TMZ.
Per the outlet, the lawsuit says that the distributors of the film, Sony Pictures, approved Lively’s requests. However, the actor claims in the filing that Baldoni then began a campaign to “destroy” her reputation in response.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freeman, told TMZ that Lively’s lawsuit had been filed in order to “fix her negative reputation”.
He added to the outlet that the A Simple Favour star’s allegations are “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.”
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The lawyer added that Lively had caused issues on the film set by “threatening to not [show] up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.”
The Independent has contacted Baldoni and Lively’s representation for comment.
During the press tour for It Ends With Us, Lively was criticised for her “tone-deaf” approach of promoting the movie, which focuses on domestic violence and abuse.
Amid the ongoing drama, one journalist shared her “nightmare” interview with the Gossip Girl star recorded in 2016, stating that the interaction – deemed “incredibly rude” by fans – made her “want to quit” her job.
Lively did not directly address the criticism. However, a source told People Magazine that “she initially felt very vulnerable and upset” and thought the drama was “out of control”.
During the It Ends With Us press tour, fans speculated that Baldoni had been “shunned” by Lively and her husband over creative differences.
On TikTok, a user pointed out that Lively and Baldoni did not take a picture together at the film’s August premiere. Meanwhile, others noted that neither Lively nor Reynolds follow Baldoni back on Instagram.
Despite the pervasive feud rumours, Baldoni praised Lively during an appearance on the Today show, calling the star a “dynamic creative”.
“I think she’s best known as an actress, and, of course, she’s a fashion icon, but she is so much more than that,” he said.
“She is a dynamic creative. She had her hands in every part of this production, and everything she touched [was] made better.”
