The two actors, who are engaged in a legal battle over the filming conditions and the alleged behavior of Justin Baldoni, offer a different reading of images from the set.
New episode in the legal soap opera between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively. The actor-director of Never againsued by his actress for sexual harassment and defamation, broadcast filming excerpts on Tuesday January 21, believing that they plead in his favor. The star of Gossip Girl reacts by affirming that on the contrary, these unpublished images support his accusations.
In her complaint full of details filed in December, Blake Lively mentioned in particular the filming of a sequence during which their two characters fall in love while slow dancing.
Specifying that this sequence was used “for an edit for which no sound was recorded”, she accused Justin Baldoni of having “leaned towards her while gently moving his lips from her ear to her shoulder (of Blake Lively) saying, ‘It smells so good,’” as reported by Entertainment Weekly. Still according to the complaint, she complained about it after filming the scene and Justin Baldoni replied, “I’m not even attracted to you.”
The sequence revealed
These are probably the shots of this scene that Justin Baldoni’s legal team released to the press on Tuesday. The ten-minute video constitutes all of the shots filmed for this sequence according to his lawyers. The images are available on the Variety website.
We see the exchange mentioned by Blake Lively in her complaint. Justin Baldoni, while performing the dance scene, asks her: “Am I going to put my beard on you today?”. The actress replies with a laugh: “I’ll probably put spray tan on you!” “It smells good”, then retorts the actor.
“The scene in question was intended to show the two actors falling in love and wanting to be close to each other,” Justin Baldoni’s lawyers say in a panel preceding the footage. “Both actors do not go beyond the scope of the stage and behave with respect and professionalism.” Blake Lively’s legal team, for its part, offers an opposing reading of these images, calling them “overwhelming.”
-Contrary interpretation
“The video shows Ms. Lively walking away and repeatedly demanding that the characters just talk” while Justin Baldoni keeps getting closer to her face, the actress’s counsel states in a statement sent to Entertainment Weekly.
They also argue that Justin Baldoni “rubs his face and mouth against her neck, touches her lips with his thumb, caresses her, tells her how good she smells, and talks to her while out of character” without any of that happening.” was not discussed in advance, and without an intimacy coordinator present.”
“Any woman who has been touched inappropriately in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort,” they continue.
“She will recognize his attempts at levity to avoid unwanted caresses. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by her employer without her consent.”
Interposed complaints
Blake Lively’s complaint, filed in December, targets Justin Baldoni but also the film’s production studio and producer Jamey Heath. In addition to the alleged harassment, she accuses them of having led a smear campaign against her during the promotion of the film in order to divert attention from possible comments she might have made regarding their behavior.
The complaint was revealed in a New York Times investigation. At the beginning of January, Justin Baldoni launched legal proceedings against the American daily, arguing that the publication had disregarded “journalistic practices and ethics (…) by using doctored and manipulated SMS messages and by intentionally omitting messages that contest the narrative (…) chosen”.
A few weeks later, the actor-director launched legal proceedings against Blake Lively for defamation and extortion. Ryan Reynolds, husband of the actress, is also the subject of the complaint. Justin Baldoni is seeking at least $400 million in damages.
