Blake Lively has sued her It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni for “severe emotional distress,” as per a new lawsuit.
TMZ has reportedly seen the documents that allege that a workplace meeting was held to address claims made by the actress that Justin – her costar and director in the adaptation of the Colleen Hoover book – was making inappropriate remarks during production.
The meeting was also attended by Blake’s husband Ryan Reynolds, and the demands in the meetings included “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father”.
Other requests included: “No more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project.”
© Getty ImagesSony PIctures, the production company, agreed to the demands but the lawsuit goes on to claim that in retaliation, Justin engaged in a “social manipulation” campaign to “destroy” the actress’ reputation.
Brian Freedman, a lawyer for Justin, has slammed the allegations, calling them “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt”.
He also alleged to TMZ that Blake was a “nightmare” on set, “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release”.
The bestselling Colleen Hoover novel hit the big screen in August 2024, however, its release was overshadowed by the behind-the-scenes drama between the director, Justin Baldoni, and the rest of the cast.
Justin, who was also one of the producers, didn’t appear in any interviews or photocalls with the rest of the cast, and did not appear on the red carpets with anyone.
It was also noticed that while Justin followed his co-star Blake as well as the book’s author, Coleen, on Instagram, neither of them follow him back, and in one red carpet interview, actress Jenny Slate, who stars in the film as Allysa, was asked directly about working with Justin – only to avoid speaking about him entirely.
Prior to the lawsuit details, it had been claimed that Blake and Justin had repeatedly clashed as producers, with Blake wanting a different cut to be released, while another suggested that Blake took creative control of the film, particularly after she revealed that husband Ryan helped write a scene in the movie.
Justin had been highly complimentary about Blake in interviews; speaking to People, he said: “She is a creative force, she’s an executive producer on the film, and she is so brilliant. And I believe that her performance is going to help so many women feel seen and showcase this unique experience in a way that I don’t believe I’ve seen in another film.”
But when asked about returning for a sequel, he deferred to Blake, saying: “I think that there are better people for that one. I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct. That’s what I think.”