Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively Getty Images; WireImage
Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit against The New York Times has shed even more light on the apparent creative differences between him and It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively.
Baldoni, 40, is suing The Times for $250 million, alleging libel and false light invasion of privacy over the newspaper’s reporting on Lively suing him for sexual harassment.
“The Times story relied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative, lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives,” the lawsuit reads.
The suit alleges that the strife between Baldoni and Lively, 37, comes from the actress’ “calculated and audacious attempt to seize control of the Film.” It also provided text messages from Baldoni, who directed the film, to the movie’s editors that show his frustrations with Lively allegedly shutting him out of the editing process.
UPDATE 12/31/21 11.30p.m. ET: Justin Baldoni was one of 10 plaintiffs who filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times following its reporting on costar Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment. The lawsuit’s plaintiffs, which also includes publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel as well as It Ends With Us […]
“She’s kicked me out officially from the film now,” Baldoni wrote. “She’s finishing it all. I can’t be involved. Music sound VFX everything. I’ll make it through somehow. Just need to feel it all.”
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively are seen on the set of ‘It Ends with Us’ on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
The lawsuit states that Baldoni felt uneasy after Lively’s allegations against him, which were initially brought up in a meeting that took place during production. Lively allegedly insisted on joining Baldoni in the editing bay during the film’s 10-week “protected” period. During that time, the director traditionally has private access to the film, editing it into his or her director’s cut.
“As a seasoned professional with over twenty years of experience in the entertainment industry — and having grown up in a family deeply involved in the field — Lively was fully aware of the implications of her request,” the suit says. “In fact, her request explicitly acknowledged that it infringed upon Baldoni’s ‘protected period.’ Nonetheless, in the aftermath of the serious false allegations she had leveled against the production, Baldoni, [Wayfarer Studios], and Sony reluctantly agreed to grant her access to the editing bay for two days.”
The lawsuit claims that The Times’ “willful omission of these critical details not only distorts the truth but also perpetuates a false narrative that conveniently absolves Lively of her own culpability in the unraveling of professional relationships and the upheaval surrounding the Film.”
Baldoni alleges that the two-day period turned into 10 days and included time in which Lively sought to work alone in the editing bay. He further claims that she fired the film’s editors and replaced them with her own choices, including one that her husband, Ryan Reynolds, frequently uses.
Months after a reported rift between It Ends With Us costars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, she sued him for sexual harassment. In the lawsuit, which was filed on Friday, December 20, and obtained by Us Weekly after it was reported on by TMZ and The New York Times, Lively accused Baldoni of launching a […]
Speculation arose in August that there was tension between Baldoni and Lively, who play love interests in the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book. That tension allegedly led to a split between the film’s crew, a source told Us Weekly at the time.
“There were two camps on the film — team Blake and team Justin,” the source says, adding that tensions began building on day one of production. “This creative struggle set the tone for the negative experience behind the scenes and grew into them not speaking anymore.”
Lively continued to assert creative control over the film, according to the source, leaving Baldoni “hurt.”
“[Justin] was made to feel that his vision wasn’t as important as Blake’s, and it stifled the creativity on set,” the source continued.
A second source pushed back, saying that “any changes or input by Blake was to create the best film possible and honor the book.”
Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a complaint filed before the new year, alleging he created a “hostile work environment” on set. Baldoni’s lawyer denied the “outrageous” accusations, claiming Lively was attempting to “fix her negative reputation.” Lively officially sued Baldoni on Tuesday, December 31.
Following news of Baldoni’s own lawsuit, Lively’s attorney addressed the accusations in a statement provided to Us.
“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today,” the statement read. “This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice “not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,” and that “litigation was never her ultimate goal.” As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false. While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.”
