Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni may have starred together in "Ends With Us," but their legal issues are have just begun. Lively has now gone on to file a bombshell lawsuit against her co-star, accusing him of repeatedly sexually harassing her during the filming of their hit movie, as reported by TMZ.
The actress claims that Baldoni, who also directed the film, orchestrated a deliberate effort to tarnish her reputation after the movie was released. The "Gossip Girl" actress alleges that Baldoni created a toxic work environment by showing her nude videos and images of other women, while also discussing his alleged past issues with pornography addiction, according to TMZ.
Dropping the Bomb
She argues that this campaign of defamation negatively impacted her career and caused significant emotional distress to her family. Baldoni's representatives have denied the accusations, claiming that the lawsuit is a strategy to repair Lively's image, which took a hit following the troubled release of the film.
The pair starred together in the highly anticipated film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel earlier this year. However, the film's release was mired by controversies after fans noticed apparent tension between Lively, 37, and Baldoni, 40.
Lively also faced significant negative publicity after the movie premiered, with some calling her a "mean girl" following a journalist's claim that a tense interview with Lively caused her to quit her job.
Lively now alleges that Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her weight, remarked on her late father, and made sexual remarks about the cast and crew. The situation reportedly became so unbearable that she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, requested urgent discussions during filming to address the behavior, the lawsuit mentions.
Lively also requested: "No more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL [Blake Lively] outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project," per the filings.
As Dirty as It Gets
The studio reportedly agreed to Lively and Reynolds' demands, but the film's release was still impacted by a conflict between Lively and Baldoni over the film's marketing, according to the lawsuit.
Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, dismissed the lawsuit as "false, outrageous, and and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt." He argued that the legal action is a move by Lively to "fix her negative reputation" following rumors of diva-like behavior on set.
"It Ends With Us" became one of the most talked-about films of the year following its August release, but not for the reasons the filmmakers had hoped.
The romantic drama, starring Lively as Lily Bloom, centers on her turbulent relationship with Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni.
A major point of conflict was how the film should be marketed, with Lively reportedly pushing for a more optimistic portrayal, while Baldoni believed the focus should be on the abusive aspects of the story.
As rumors about their disagreements spread, public opinion began to turn against Lively, with some criticizing her for her approach in interviews promoting the film. She was accused of being "tone-deaf" and "superficial" after hosting a discussion with her co-stars in which she failed to address the serious themes of the movie.
