Actress Blake Lively is suing her “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment.
Rumors swirled for months about the beginnings of a dispute between the two actors, which appears to have culminated in a lawsuit by Lively alleging that Baldoni – who was also the film’s director – had caused her “severe emotional distress.”
The complaint, which was 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 Civil Rights Department.
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The complaint details the 37-year-old actress’ allegations against her co-star, including those following a meeting in which she and her husband Ryan Reynolds discussed “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing conduct” from Baldoni and a producer of the film. , after the meeting, he and the studio embarked on a “layered plan” to damage her reputation.
In a statement to the New York Times, Lively said she hopes her legal action “helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory actions to harm people who speak out about wrongdoing and help protect others who may be targeted .” A representative for Lively referred CBS News to the Times report, in which Lively denied spreading 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 publicist, stating that the actor “wants to feel like she can be buried” and “We cannot write that we will destroy her.”
The complaint also says Baldoni “abruptly deviated from” the film’s marketing plan and “used the ‘survivor content’ of domestic violence to protect his public image.”
“These claims are completely false, outrageous and deliberately salacious, with the intent to publicly injure and repeat a media narrative,” 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 the numerous demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production.” He said Lively threatened not to appear on set and promote the film “if her demands were not met.” These requirements were not specified in the statement.
The film, which was released in August, is based on the bestseller 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 film’s release.
In the days and weeks leading up to the release, rumors swirled about the alleged feud between Lively and Baldoni. During promotion for 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 abusive.
In an interview with CBS morningsWhile promoting the film, Baldoni said he hoped the film helps create a safer world through compassion and empathy. He said he wants men to watch the romantic film and take responsibility in their lives after watching it.
“I want men to go to the theater and see a version of themselves in a way. You have two very different characters. In both Atlas and Ryle they have had past trauma,” he said. “One person deals with it 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, when they see pieces of themselves in Ryle, they have the opportunity to to take a step back and say, ‘You know what, I don’t want to blow up my life. I don’t want to hurt the person I love the most.'”
