Blake Lively accuses It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment

Actor Blake Lively has filed a legal complaint in California against her former co-star and director Justin Baldoni from the movie It Ends with Us. She accuses him of sexual harassment and alleges that there was a planned public relations campaign aimed at tarnishing her reputation.

In Lively’s lawsuit, she stated that the situation became so problematic during the filming of the movie, which was released in August this year, that a meeting was organized to discuss her allegations of a toxic work atmosphere. Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, was present at this meeting.

During the heated meeting, Lively and Reynolds insisted that there should be no more display of nude videos or images of women in Lively's presence. They also requested that any references to Baldoni's supposed past struggle with pornography be dropped, along with discussions about sexual conquests in front of Lively.

They also specified that Baldoni "should not ask about Lively's weight" and should "not bring up her deceased father again."

The complaint claims that Lively insisted while filming that she should not be asked to include any additional sex scenes beyond what she had already approved when she agreed to join the challenging project.

It alleges that the studio accepted and endorsed the requests, but Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios later carried out a campaign of "social manipulation" aimed at ruining her reputation.

According to the complaint, the strategy involved creating false narratives on online discussion forums, launching a social media initiative, and publishing news articles that were negative towards Lively. It also mentions that Baldoni suddenly changed direction from the film’s marketing approach and utilized content about domestic violence victims to safeguard his reputation.

The complaint, as reported by the New York Times, was submitted to the California civil rights department on Friday and serves as a step towards a potential lawsuit. It features alleged messages from Baldoni’s publicist to the studio publicist, stating that Baldoni “wants to feel like [Ms. Lively] can be put out of the picture” and “We can’t claim that we’ll ruin her.”

In a comment to the Times, Lively, who became famous for her role in the teen drama series Gossip Girl before transitioning to film, expressed her hope that her legal efforts would shed light on the disturbing tactics used to intimidate those who speak out against wrongdoing, and that it would offer protection to others who might become targets.

Baldoni responded to the Hollywood Reporter, criticizing Lively's allegations. “It’s disgraceful that Ms. Lively and her team would level such serious and completely false charges,” said Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's attorney.

The statement described Lively’s action as a futile effort to improve her bad reputation, which stemmed from her own comments and behavior during the film's promotional campaign. These remarks were made during interviews and public appearances that were shared online in real-time, allowing people to form their own opinions and judgments.

Freedman mentioned that his client had brought in a crisis manager because of various “demands and threats” allegedly made by Lively. These included warnings that she wouldn’t appear on set or promote the film, which could ultimately harm its success during the release if her requests were not fulfilled.

The promotional efforts for It Ends with Us, a film adapted from Colleen Hoover's romance novel that explores themes of domestic violence, faced challenges in August when keen-eyed social media users realized that Baldoni was missing from various promotional events.

Insiders from the production revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that there was a split among the filmmakers, resulting in two different versions of the movie being created. This led to speculation that Lively, who is a producer on the project, had enlisted her husband, Reynolds, to help assert creative control over the film.

Not long after, an uncomfortable interview with Lively from 2016 reappeared online. Hollywood reporter Kjersti Flaa described the experience as the “most awkward situation” she had “ever” faced and mentioned that Lively made her consider leaving her job.

Baldoni, known for his role in the telenovela Jane the Virgin, who also directed Five Feet Apart and authored the book Man Enough, which challenges conventional ideas about masculinity, addressed accusations that the film glorified domestic violence.

“If anyone has actually experienced that, I can understand how difficult it might be to see their story reflected in a romance novel,” he explained. “I want to assure them that we approached the creation of this film with great care and thoughtfulness.”

This article includes contributions from the Associated Press.