The actress Blake Lively accused actor Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment during the filming of “It Ends With Us.”
Furthermore, according to the lawsuit filed in court, she pointed out that Baldoni tried to damage her reputation after she expressed her concerns.
In the lawsuit filed with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, it is claimed that things got uncomfortable on set to the point that the production called a meeting, attended by Lively, Baldoni, executives from Sony Pictures Entertainment, Wayfarer Studios, and Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, on January 4 to address issues that had "almost derailed the movie production." During the meeting, concerns ranging from "inappropriate conversations" to "retaliatory or abusive behaviors" were raised.
According to Baldoni's representative, Bryan Freedman, he described the accusations as "categorically false." "These claims are completely false, scandalous, and intentionally salacious with the intent of publicly harming and spreading a narrative in the media," he shared in a statement.
Likewise, Freedman stated that Lively, through the lawsuit, is desperately seeking to "fix" her negative reputation, which was garnered from her own comments and actions during the movie campaign; interviews and press activities that were publicly observed, in real time and unedited, allowing the online audience to form their own views and opinions.
The lawsuit describes other incidents, such as Baldoni telling Lively she could speak with Lively's deceased father, attempting to enter her trailer while naked, and hinting to the actress's physical trainer that she wanted her to lose weight. According to court documents, Lively filmed the movie shortly after giving birth to her fourth child.
Sony Pictures Entertainment could not be reached immediately for comment on Saturday. Sony, the distributor of the movie, is not listed as a defendant.
According to the lawsuit, Baldoni hired a crisis communication team to launch a "retaliatory social manipulation campaign" against Lively during the movie's promotion in order to destroy her reputation.
The movie made headlines during the summer after fans, who suspected there was drama behind the scenes, began criticizing the interactions on the red carpet and the interviews with the cast. Many fans focused on the fact that Baldoni was doing press separately from the other film stars and that some of them, including Lively and Jenny Slate, did not follow him on Instagram.
The movie, based on Colleen Hoover's successful novel, follows the character played by Lively, Lily Bloom, and her abusive relationship with a neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni.
Lively's lawsuit alleges that a movie marketing plan stated that the cast would focus on a "story of hope" instead of domestic violence, but Baldoni "departed sharply from the movie marketing plan" to explain why the cast and crew had unfollowed her on social media and to destroy Lively's reputation because she "spoke on stage about his alleged misconduct".
Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, said that Wayfarer hired a crisis communication team because Lively allegedly threatened not to show up on set during filming and threatened not to promote the movie.
"Even so, Wayfarer Studios representatives did not do anything or take retaliatory actions, and only responded to media questions to ensure balanced and objective information and monitored social activity," he stated.
Lively stated that she hopes that her "legal action helps to uncover the curtain on these sinister retaliation tactics to harm individuals who report misconduct and helps protect others who may be subject to them."