Actor Blake Lively has filed a 10-claim complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and retaliatory actions aimed at damaging her reputation.
The legal filing, submitted late Friday, accuses Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, of fostering a hostile work environment during the film’s production and orchestrating a smear campaign following its release.
According to the complaint, tensions on set escalated to the point that a meeting was held involving Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and studio executives to address her concerns. During this meeting, Lively and Reynolds demanded an end to inappropriate workplace behavior, including “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Lively, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ and no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Lively.”
Other requests included prohibiting Baldoni from inquiring about Lively’s weight through her trainer and avoiding any further mention of her late father. Additionally, Lively insisted on not being asked to perform sex scenes beyond what was agreed upon when she signed on for the project.
Lively’s filing further alleges that after the movie’s release, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios initiated a “social manipulation” campaign to tarnish her reputation. The complaint references purported text messages from Baldoni’s publicist, suggesting a plan to plant theories on social media and engineer negative press.
“Baldoni wants to feel like [Ms. Lively] can be buried,” one text allegedly reads, while another adds, “We can’t write we will destroy her.”
Lively, in a statement to the New York Times, expressed hope that her legal action would shed light on harmful industry practices. “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,” she said.
Baldoni, through his lawyer Bryan Freedman, categorically denied the claims, calling them “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.” Freedman also accused Lively of making demands and threats that allegedly disrupted the film’s production and promotion.
Adding to the fallout, Baldoni is no longer represented by talent agency WME, which reportedly made the decision on Saturday morning following the allegations. Lively, however, continues to be represented by the agency.
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