Blake Lively is suing her It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment, according to multiple reports. In the Colleen Hoover adaptation, which arrived in cinemas over the summer, the 37-year-old played Lily Bloom, whose relationship with Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni), becomes abusive.
The lawsuit alleges Baldoni, who also directed the film, created a hostile environment on set and that he co-ordinated a campaign to destroy Lively’s reputation. Lively also claims Baldoni’s behaviour caused her “severe emotional distress”. Baldoni has since denied these allegations. Previously, there had been speculation of a feud between the two during filming as they were never pictured together during the entire promotional blitz.
According to TMZ, the lawsuit also claims there was a meeting called on set to address Baldoni’s alleged behaviour, which was attended by Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds. The lawsuit states there were multiple demands addressed during the meeting, which reportedly included the following: “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.”
Further requests included there be “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.” According to TMZ, the requirements were approved by Sony Pictures.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freeman, has since spoken to the outlet to deny the allegations. He cited them as “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.” He claimed Lively filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation”.
Freeman then accused Lively of unprofessional behaviour on set, including “threatening to not show up” and “threatening to not promote the film,” which ultimately led to its “demise during release.”
Cosmopolitan UK has contacted Lively and Baldoni’s representation for comment.
Sophie Williams is a Freelance Journalist and Copywriter, covering everything from Fashion to Entertainment to music, Lifestyle and Features. She has interviewed a range of musical artists and authors including Alyssa Edwards, Courtney Barnett, Confidence Man, The Vaccines, Loyle Carner, Gabrielle, and John Niven, and has written for publications like Metro, Reader’s Digest, ITV’s Woo! and Vice’s NBGA. She is also working on a book for HarperCollins about Taylor Swift, due to be published in 2024. Â