IT ENDS WITH US ACTOR SUED BY BLAKE LIVELY FOR ALLEGED SOCIAL MANIPULATION CAMPAIGN
Blake Lively has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her co-star on It Ends With Us, claiming that he tried to launch a "social manipulation" campaign. It's safe to say that off-screen drama marred the summer release, with rumours of a falling out between the actor and her co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, circulating. Fans noticed that the couple was not doing much press together when the romantic drama, which was based on Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel, hit theatres back in August. Lively has now filed a lawsuit (which the New York Times was able to obtain), claiming that Baldoni tried to launch a smear campaign against her and that his actions caused her and her family "severe emotional distress."
Variety was informed by Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's attorney, that the lawsuit is full of "categorically false accusations. "According to the lawsuit, Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds allegedly attended a meeting that was held during production to discuss her demands and claims regarding working on It Ends With Us. These demands allegedly included: "No more showing Blake naked videos or pictures of women, no more talking about Baldoni's alleged past 'pornography addiction,' no more talking about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no more talking about the genitalia of the cast and crew, no more talking about Blake's weight, and no more talking about Blake's deceased father."
The actress allegedly insisted that Baldoni stick to the script she had approved before filming and refrain from including any additional "sex scenes, oral sex, or on-camera climaxing" in the movie.
According to the lawsuit, Sony Pictures allegedly granted the permissions. It also charges Baldoni with "social manipulation" in connection with a campaign to "destroy" Lively's reputation after filming was completed, in addition to the demands she made.
"Ms Lively and her representatives' serious and categorically false accusations against Mr Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its representatives are shameful," Freedman said in a statement to Variety. "This is just another desperate attempt to 'fix' her negative reputation, which was earned from her own remarks and actions during the film's campaign; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real-time, and unedited, allowing the internet to generate their own views and opinions."
"Wayfarer Studios decided to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film, to work alongside their own representative with Jonesworks employed by Stephanie Jones, due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Jones," he continued, calling the allegations "completely false." During production, Lively threatened to stop showing up on set and to stop promoting the movie, which would ultimately cause it to fail when it was released, if her demands were not met. Even before any marketing for the movie had started, it was found that Ms. Lively had hired her own agent, Leslie Sloan of Vision PR, who also represents Mr Reynolds, to spread unfavourable and wholly made-up and false stories in the media. This was another reason why Wayfarer Studios decided to hire a crisis professional to start internal scenario planning in case they needed to handle the situation.
Lively told The New York Times in a statement: “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.”