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Blake Lively's interview about It End With Us sparks conversation
Blake Lively stared in new movie "It Ends With Us," based on Colleen Hoover's best selling book by the same name. She's done several promotional interviews, including one with Fox 32. Some fans are saying she's not using her platform to discuss important issues portrayed in the movie.
Actor Blake Lively has filed a legal complaint against Justin Baldoni, accusing her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director of sexual harassment on the movie set and later trying to "destroy" her reputation.
In the complaint obtained by The Associated Press, Lively accuses Baldoni and the studio of embarking on a "multi-tiered plan" to damage her reputation after a meeting where she and her husband Ryan Reynolds addressed "repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior" by Baldoni and one of the film’s producers.
The complaint, which precedes a lawsuit, names Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and Baldoni's publicists among the defendants.
What does Blake Lively’s complaint against Baldoni say?
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Blake Lively accuses director of harassment
Blake Lively has accused her "It Ends With Us" director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the movie and a subsequent effort to "destroy" her reputation in a legal complaint. The complaint obtained by The Associated Press, which The New York Times reported was filed Friday with the California Civil Rights Department, precedes a lawsuit. It names Baldoni, the studio behind "It Ends With Us" and Baldoni’s publicists among the defendants. In the complaint, Lively accuses Baldoni and the studio of embarking on a "multi-tiered plan" to damage her reputation following a meeting in which she and her husband Ryan Reynolds addressed "repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior" by Baldoni and a producer on the movie.
In the complaint, Lively said Baldoni and the studio’s plan to damage her reputation included a proposal to plant theories on online message boards, create a social media campaign and place news stories critical of Lively.
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The complaint also accuses Baldoni of "abruptly pivoting away from" the movie's promotional events and "used domestic violence ‘survivor content’ to protect his public image."
An attorney for Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios denied the accusations.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are seen on the set of "It Ends with Us" on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
"These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media," attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement.
Freedman said the studio was proactive and hired a crisis manager "due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production."
He said Lively threatened to not appear on set and not promote the film "if her demands were not met." He didn’t specify what those demands were.
"I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted," Lively said in a statement to The New York Times.
‘It Ends With Us’ controversy
"It Ends With Us," based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling 2016 novel, exceeded box office expectations in August with a $50 million debut. But the movie’s success was clouded by rumors of discord between Lively and Baldoni. Baldoni took a backseat in promoting the film while Lively took centerstage along with Reynolds, who was on the press circuit for "Deadpool & Wolverine" at the same time.
RELATED: ‘It Ends With Us’ film prompting conversations on domestic violence awareness
Baldoni did respond to concerns that the film romanticized domestic violence, telling the AP at the time that critics were "absolutely entitled to that opinion."
"If anybody has had that real-life experience, I can imagine how hard it would be to imagine their experience being in a romance novel," he said. "To them, I would just offer that we were very intentional in the making of this movie."
Resources for domestic violence victims
- Call The Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Text START to 88788
- Chat on thehotline.org
- More information here at thehotline.org