Justin Baldoni initially appeared to have nothing but positive things to say about his It Ends with Us costar, Blake Lively, as reports of an on set feud continue circulating online.
The drama officially hit theaters in August 2024, and Baldoni, who both directed and starred opposite Lively, has heaped praise on his onscreen partner.
“Blake was involved in every aspect of the film once she came onto the project, from scenes and dialogue until the end, until now,” he told Entertainment Weekly in August. “She’s been involved in all of it, and she’s been a powerhouse of a creative and a wonderful collaborator.”
It Ends With Us, which is adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel of the same name, follows florist Lily Bloom (Lively) as she enters into an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
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Amid their tumultuous relationship, Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), reappears in her life.
TMZ and The New York Times reported on Saturday, December 21, 2024 that Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment. On Tuesday, December 31, Baldoni was among 10 plaintiffs who launched a $250 million lawsuit against the New York Times for its coverage of Lively’s claims. That same day, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in a New York court which mirrored her earlier claims, which were filed in California.
Take a look at what Baldoni has said about Lively:
Why Was Blake Lively the Perfect Casting Choice?
When trying to find the perfect actress to play Lily, Baldoni said the team wanted a woman who was “extremely charming, likable and that everybody would root for.” Soon after, Lively’s name made the top of the list.
“The only box she didn’t check was that she didn’t have red hair, which is a very easy fix in the film business!” Baldoni joked to People. “She’s a creative force. She’s an executive producer on the film, and she is so brilliant. I believe that her performance is going to help so many women feel seen and showcase this unique experience in a way that I don’t believe I’ve seen in another film.”
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How Much Feedback Did Blake Lively Provide?
When it came time to film difficult scenes of abuse for the movie, Baldoni said it was “really challenging” balancing his roles as actor and director. Fortunately, Lively proved to be a helpful guide and resource.
“Blake was a wonderful partner in those situations,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “It was so difficult, but I think that I surround myself with people that I trust and with really talented creatives, and if there’s ever a time where I’m unable to see the forest for the trees, I’ll look to my partners, and I’ll ask them what they think.”
“I really trusted her,” Baldoni continued. “She’s got a great eye, and she was on the other end so it was very hard, and there was just a lot of trust. I had a lot of trust for the people around me, and they didn’t steer me wrong.”
Baldoni added that he relied on Lively and the women working on the set to ensure the film focused on the female perspective.
“To be very candid, in many of the situations I would give my vision and then I would step back and let the women actually run the set and the show,” Baldoni told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Saturday, August 10. “Blake was very involved as well and had a lot of ideas of how this should work. There were many times where I didn’t even say a word, where I was just watching and I was like, yes, that sounds great.”
He continued, “I was actually able to then go into Ryle because in those moments, it was the most complex for Ryle and the hardest for me as an actor. So they took a lot of weight off my shoulders, and also ensured that each of those scenes were handled with care and also did not have a male gaze but a female gaze because that was one of my early concerns when I was questioning if I could even direct this movie. I wanted to ensure that it kept and maintained the message of the book through a female perspective.”
How Did Blake Lively Help With Intimacy Scenes?
In January 2024, cameras captured Baldoni and Lively kissing while filming the movie. For viewers who spot any chemistry on the big screen, Baldoni is quick to give credit to his costar. “When it came to intimacy and all of that, [Lively] had a really clear vision and she was telling me what she thought would work, what she thought would be sexy,” he told Access Hollywood. “From the very beginning, this had to have a female point of view and I never wanted my biases as a man to infiltrate or hurt that project.”
What Did Justin Baldoni Think of Working With Blake Lively’s Husband Ryan Reynolds?
Before the movie was released, Lively confirmed her husband, Ryan Reynolds, wrote a pivotal scene in the film. Before the revelation, Baldoni appeared to hint that the Deadpool actor helped with the project. “Ryan was so generous. … He’s a creative genius, that guy,” he told Today.com. “So, you know, his gift is levity, and her gift is levity.”
When asked if he would work with the husband and wife duo again, he replied, “If they’d have me.”
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Will Justin Baldoni Reunite With Blake Lively for a Sequel?
Book lovers know that It Ends With Us spawned an It Starts With Us sequel in 2022 that takes place years after the OG book. When asked about a potential second dose of acting and directing, Baldoni said it was too soon to tell. “You’re gonna have to ask me in a little while. We’re gonna take a vacation after this,” he told Entertainment Tonight before sharing his pick for the sequel’s director. “I think there are better people for that one. I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. That’s what I think.”
Did Justin Respond to Blake’s Lawsuit?
After Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment in December 2024, his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, called the accusations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” in a statement to Us. He claimed that Lively filed the lawsuit to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” regarding the film’s production.
Freedman alleged that Lively made “multiple demands and threats” while filming It Ends With Us, 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.” (Us reached out to Lively’s rep for comment at the time.)
What Did Justin Claim in His Lawsuit Against The New York Times?
Baldoni is among a group of 10 plaintiffs, which also includes publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel as well as It Ends With Us producers James Heath and Steve Saraowitz, who filed a lawsuit against The New York Times.
The plaintiffs are suing for libel and false light invasion of privacy and allege that The New York Times “cherry-picked” communications and omitted context in order to mislead readers in its article “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
The lawsuit alleges Lively pursued a “strategic and manipulative” smear campaign against Baldoni (rather than the other way around), using false “sexual harassment allegations to assert unilateral control over every aspect of the production.”
In response to the filing, Lively’s attorney told Us on Tuesday, December 31 that the lawsuit was based on an “obviously false premise.”
“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.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
