Abigail Breslin is defending Blake Lively‘s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni one year after her own accusations against former costar Aaron Eckhart were made public.
“When did the word woman become synonymous with scapegoat. In light of recent events regarding the attempt to destroy the career and livelihood of a fellow actress and woman, I have felt compelled to write this, as I have unfortunately been subject to the same toxic masculinity throughout my life,” Breslin, 28, wrote on Sunday, December 29, via Tumblr. “In my recent career, I’ve brought forward concerns about a male colleague and was deemed ‘hysterical.’ I was told my fears were figments of my imagination.”
Breslin, who initially brought a complaint against Eckhart, 56, in 2023 after they worked together on the movie Classified, said her and Lively’s experiences are an indication of a “pattern” that is becoming “the norm.”
“There seemed to be an uprising [after the MeToo movement in 2017], a new wave of recognition for those who had been abused, degraded, slandered, silenced and it was loud. But it was the kind of noise I can only liken to a firework,” she noted. “It can wake you up out of a sound sleep, it burns so bright and shocks the s—out of you but then, it burns out — just like that. And when the smoke in the sky clears and the ashes and debris are swept away from the sidewalk, behind closed doors — to them — we are still just noisy women. So we all go about our business until the next wave of injustice comes.”
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Breslin claimed that people stopped showing their support for women who spoke out, adding, “As if centuries of women being underpaid, undervalued, under-appreciated, raped, harassed, terrified and used for the benefits of d-ck-wielding heroes would be erased because you commented on your second cousins #MeToo instagram saying ‘Stay strong.’”
The actress specifically referenced her past complaint against Eckhart after she made “a confidential complaint against a coworker for unprofessional behavior,” saying she “had the silly and naive impression” that her concerns would be taken seriously.
“Instead of being believed and protected, a suit was filed against me for having the audacity to speak up. I was publicly shamed and defamed in the process,” she continued. “A reputation I had cultivated for over 2 decades had now been tainted as I became the crazy, paranoid and to quote directly, ‘hysterical and wild’ woman, who apparently just had it in for men.”
In November 2023, a breach of contract lawsuit was filed against Breslin, in which Dream Team Studios claimed the “entire production almost ground to a halt” after Breslin privately came forward with complaints about Eckhart’s “unprofessional behavior.” An investigation was conducted in compliance with SAG-AFTRA guidelines, finding no evidence of wrongdoing. Eckhart did not publicly respond to Breslin’s claims, but a rep for Breslin insisted that she “unequivocally” stood by her confidential statement.
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Breslin is the latest celebrity to publicly side with Lively, 37, who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, 40, for allegedly creating a “hostile work environment” on the set of It Ends With Us. Lively also alleged that Baldoni “ignored well-established industry protocols in filming intimate scenes, and exploited the lack of controls on set to behave inappropriately.”
“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,” said Lively in a statement to The New York Times on December 21.
Baldoni denied the “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” allegations against him in a statement to Us from his lawyer Bryan Freedman, who claimed that Lively made “multiple demands and threats” during the film’s production, including “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.”
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In her lengthy message, Breslin reflected on the “impossible double-edged sword” women face when it comes to speaking up and wondered why the public “always” seems “so excited to see the takedown” of those who choose to come forward.
“And so here we find ourselves again, in a vicious cycle of crucifying another woman for speaking out against a man. Watching as the world splits in two over who is telling the truth, no matter how much evidence is presented. Because how could a woman do anything but lie or exaggerate,” she noted. “So I ask you this: How can a man do anything but lie when he is consistently told his deceptions are gospel? Are we forever to hold the burden of being ‘perfect” to be victims and to be believed? To change the narrative, we do not need more women to scream. We just need a lot more men to shut up and listen.”
