Blake Lively has filed a lawsuit against her co-star Justin Baldoni, claiming he sexually harassed her on the set of her hit film.
The “It's Over” stars have just begun their legal battle, with Lively accusing Baldoni, who also directed the film, of waging “a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation” following the film's release . He claims this campaign has damaged his business and caused his family “severe emotional distress.”
Ends With Us, a domestic violence drama based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel, premiered in theaters this year. At the time, rumors spread of a rift between Lively and Baldoni, and the two refused to appear together at promotional events for the film.
Lively has also faced a wave of bad publicity, including being dubbed a “bad girl” after a reporter said an embarrassing interview with her led to her quitting her job, according to the New York Post .
Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, vehemently denied Lively's allegations, telling TMZ that the lawsuit was an attempt to “fix her negative reputation.” He called the claims “false, scandalous and intentionally obscene with the intent to cause public harm” and accused Lively of being a “nightmare” on set.
However, Lively's lawsuit paints a different picture, claiming that Baldoni's actions created an unsustainable work environment during filming. She says things got so bad that a “collective meeting” was called to address what she describes as a hostile work environment.
Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, attended this tense meeting, where Lively and Reynolds made several demands. These included no longer showing videos or images of naked women to Lively, no longer mentioning Baldoni's alleged former “porn addiction” and no longer discussing sexual conquests in her presence.
They also insisted that Baldoni not ask questions about Lively's weight or mention her late father.
Lively also requested that no more on-camera sex, oral sex, or climax scenes be added beyond the scope of the script she had initially approved. According to the lawsuit, these requests were approved by Sony, the studio behind the film.
Lively and Baldoni later clashed over how to market the film. Lively wanted a more positive tone that highlighted her character's resilience, while Baldoni pushed for a focus on domestic violence.
Lively claims that Baldoni and his allies engaged in a campaign of “social manipulation” to “destroy” his reputation. As evidence, it includes texts from Baldoni's publicist to a studio publicist, stating that the actor “wants to feel like (Ms. Lively) could be buried.”
Ironically, rumors of a feud between Lively and Baldoni have only fueled interest in the film, which was released in the United States in August. The tension between them helped generate publicity, which contributed to the film's success. It grossed more than $350 million worldwide, becoming a box office success.
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