Blake Lively has accused her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment. In a legal document obtained by the New York Times, the actress accuses Baldoni of mounting a campaign of slander against her and claims that his behavior has caused “serious emotional distress” to her and her family.
An attorney for Baldoni immediately responded with a statement to Variety calling the lawsuit “shameful” and full of categorically false claims.”
In the document presented before the civil rights department of the state of California, there is mention of a meeting in which Rian Reynolds, Blake's husband, also participated, in which the actress ordered the other party to “no longer show her images of naked women 'mention her alleged porn addiction or sexual conquests', stop talking about crew members' genitals, stop asking about Blake's weight and make no further mention of Blake's late father.
Blake would also have asked that Baldoni, who was the director as well as the protagonist of the film, not add sex scenes other than those contained in the script approved by her before filming began. Sony, which distributes the film, in turn accused Baldoni of “social manipulation” and of having launched a campaign to destroy Blake's reputation.
“I hope that my legal action will serve to lift the curtain on sinister tactics used in retaliation against those who report misconduct and to protect others who may be targeted,” the actress told the New York Times.
Rumors of disagreements in the cast of It Ends With Us had emerged during the press tour for the launch of the film based on the best-selling bestseller Colleen Hoover last August and the two actors had never promoted together. The film was a success for Sony with $350 million at the global box office.
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