Until last summer, Blake Lively she was one of Hollywood's most beloved actresses. With her stratospheric beauty, her charisma, her glam style and her status as a “rock mom” alongside Ryan Reynoldsseemed to be the very embodiment of perfection. But everything changed after the promotion of the film It Ends With Us – We are the ones who say enough is enougha film about a victim of domestic violence that achieved some success at the box office. An investigation published recently by New York Times revealed not only Lively's personal experiences, but also a machine of power and manipulation that transformed her public image, making her go from beloved star to one of the most hated celebrities in Hollywood.
The initial agreement: the hidden truths
At the beginning of production, the actress complained to the production about the attitudes on the set of Justin Baldoni, director and co-star of the film, and of the produttore Jamey Heath in a meeting in which Ryan Reynolds was also present. When Lively first raised her objections, she was granted some accommodations, including an intimacy coordinator to ensure that the set was safe and respectful of its limitations, andelimination of some sexual scenes deemed free by the actress. The two men also promised not to retaliate, reassuring her that they would protect her position and safety. They had even endorsed the final cut decided by Lively (included in the credits as a last minute producer). But, as emerges from the investigation conducted by investigative reporters of the New York TimesMegan Twohey and Mike McIntire, that promise was soon broken.
Baldoni's accusation by Jamey Heath
In the complaint that the actress filed a few days ago, she accuses Baldoni of having it kissed without her consent during some intimate scenes. Not only that: the producer was accused of showing her pictures of your naked wife and of having entered her dressing room without invitation, while the actress was half naked or breastfeeding. An invasive behavior that had undermined his sense of safety on set and made the work experience difficult.
Baldoni and Heath, not just Reynolds had blocked Baldoni on Instagramsensing the danger of subsequent complaints, would have played on the counterattack by hiring an anti-crisis PR teamto develop strategies against the co-protagonist. Among these, Lively's desire not to appear next to her director on the red carpet was transformed into a snobbish and prevaricating attitude, to paint her as a difficult diva to manage.
Furthermore, while Sony had asked to promote It Ends with Us – We are the ones who say enough is enough a floral and light comedya diktat to which the actress promptly bowed; Baldoni's shrewd team had advised the director to be accompanied to interviews by victims of domestic violencethus making Blake appear like a frivolous blonde and insensitive to the film's themes and Justin like a #MeToo hero.
The mud machine and image management
“He wants to hear that she might be buried”wrote one of the publicists involved, revealing Baldoni's desire to destroy the actress's reputation Gossip Girl. Message to which PR Melissa Nathan replied: “You know we can destroy anyone“.
In recent statements, marketing experts are trying to downplay their real contribution to the collapse of Lively's reputation. But can we believe that it is a coincidence that a 2016 interview in which Lively appeared arrogant and grumpy was “spammed” on social media during the promotion days of the film? The interview, conducted by a Norwegian journalist linked in some way to Nathan, was republished in that period, further fueling the wave of hatred. The same publicist, in conversations that the defense managed to obtain through a court order, boasted of having had an article published in the Daily Mail entitled: “Will Blake Lively be cancelled?”.
Blake's Declaration of War
Coincidentally or not, while the woman's image plummeted, that of Baldoni, who from the beginning of the film's making had presented himself as an activist for women's rights and an ally against gender violencewas celebrated. In September, it was even awarded as a positive example of man who “elevates women”.
In the face of such a successful demolition operation, a few days ago Lively chose to take her allegations of sexual harassment to court, marking a decisive moment in her fight for justice. “The purpose of my complaint is not only to obtain justice for myself, but also to encourage other people to report similar behavior, without fear of retaliation”he declared.
It Ends With Us – Enough is Enough, review: a more complex romance than it appears
Manipulation and dissing in the social media era
Press agent manipulation is certainly nothing new in Hollywood. The image of celebrities has always been managed as an asset to be shaped or, sometimes, destroyed. However, in the era of constant dissing on social media and polarized opinions, these mechanisms have amplified, becoming powerful tools capable of rewrite reality and devastate reputations.
The case of Blake Lively, which still awaits the final judgment in court, is just one of the many examples that make us reflect on the distortions of the entertainment industry. In such a pervasive context, it becomes tragically easy turning a celebrity into a public targetbringing it down with a defamation campaign that is as silent as it is effective. The truth, in these cases, is often bent to power games.
Baldoni-Lively: who is better?
In this context, Baldoni proves guilty of great hypocrisy: If the harassment allegations turn out to be true, it would be a serious paradox for a director who directed a #MeToo film. Despite presenting himself as an ally against gender violence, he wanted that Blake wore revealing clothing on set and he chose his own friend to play the gynecologist of the film, allowing him to linger on the diva's private parts.
It must be said, however, that Lively does not emerge better from the picture, if the initial agreement had been respected, she would not have reported Baldoni for the harassment. The decision to do so has arrived only after the collapse of his public image. In this case, therefore, the problem is not to establish who is worse between the two, but who uses marketing strategies better to discredit the other.
Nobody is immune
The question that arises spontaneously in the face of the enormous amount of hatred that has been released against Lively in recent months is: how aware are we really of this mechanism? How many times have we formed an idea of a celebrity or a public figure based on what we read or see on social media, without ever knowing the truth of the facts? Let's think about examples like that of Johnny Depp e Amber Heard (he made use of the same PR team as Baldoni), whose legal battle polarized public opinion, causing both figures to be seen in diametrically opposite ways depending on which side they supported.
In these cases, the public narrative played a crucial role in determining whether a character was perceived as a victim or a perpetrator, a hero or a traitor. This is why, as Melissa Nathan herself underlined, cynically celebrating the perfectly successful operation against Blake Lively: “It's sad to see how easy it is to get people to hate a woman.” The truth is that today we are all, to some extent, involved in this game of manipulation, where the truth becomes fluid and the public is asked to choose a side. The question is: are we really looking for the truth, or are we just taking sides, as fans, in a championship that has nothing to do with justice?
