Actress Blake Lively sues her “It ends with us” co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment.
For months, rumors have swirled of an early feud between the two actors that appears to have culminated in a lawsuit filed by Lively in which she alleges that Baldoni – who was also the film’s director – caused her “serious emotional distress.” “.
The complaint, obtained by CBS News, names Baldoni, the studio behind “It Ends With Us” and Baldoni’s publicists among the defendants. The New York Times first reported the complaint, which was filed Friday with the California Department of Civil Rights.
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The complaint outlines the 37-year-old actress’ allegations against her co-star, including after a meeting in which she and her husband Ryan Reynolds discussed “repeated sexual harassment and other concerning behavior” by Baldoni and ‘a producer of the film. , he and the studio “embarked on a ‘multi-layered plan’ to damage her reputation after the meeting.”
In a statement to New York TimesLively said she hopes her lawsuit “will help bring back the curtain on this sinister retaliation aimed at harming people who speak out about misconduct and protecting others who may be targeted.” A representative for Lively referred CBS News to the Times report, in which Lively denied broadcasting or broadcasting any negative information about Baldoni or the studio.
According to the New York Times, the lawsuit also included alleged texts from Baldoni’s publicist to the studio’s publicist saying the actor “wants to feel like she can be buried” and “We can’t write, we’ll destroy”.
The complaint also says Baldoni “abruptly distanced himself” from the film’s marketing plan and “used domestic violence ‘survivor content’ to protect his public image.”
“These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious, intended to cause public harm and rehash a narrative in the media,” attorney Bryan Freedman told the AP in a statement. Freedman represents Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives.
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Freedman pushed back against Lively’s allegations of a coordinated campaign, saying the studio “proactively” hired a crisis manager “due to multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production.” He added that Lively threatened not to appear on set and not promote the film “if her demands were not met.” These requests were not specified in the press release.
The film, released in August, is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover. The book spent 164 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and its devoted fans awaited the release of the film.
However, in the days and weeks leading up to the release, rumors swirled regarding the alleged on-set feud between Lively and Baldoni. While promoting the film, Baldoni did most of his press solo and did not pose with the cast at the film’s New York premiere.
Lively played the film’s main character, Lily, while Baldoni played a neurosurgeon who seems like a nice guy but becomes violent.
In an interview with CBS MorningsWhile promoting the film, Baldoni said he hoped the film would help create a safer world through compassion and empathy. He said he wanted men to go see the romance film and take responsibility for their lives after watching it.
“I want men to go to the theater and, in a way, see a version of themselves. You have two very different characters. Both, in Atlas and Ryle, have suffered past trauma,” a- he declared. “One handles the situation very differently than the other and my other hope is that the men who haven’t done the work, who haven’t done the work to heal, if they see pieces of ‘themselves in Ryle, have a chance to step back and say, “You know what, I don’t want to waste my life. I don’t want to hurt the person I love the most.”
