Blake Lively furiously hits out after Justin Baldoni leaks ‘damning’ unseen footage of them on film set
Lively's legal team claimed the video is an 'example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public'
Blake Lively has issued a statement after her It Ends With Us co-star, Justin Baldoni, leaked 'damning' unseen footage of them on set.
On Tuesday (21 January), Baldoni's legal team released footage from the set of the romantic drama that they claim refutes her claims of sexual harassment against him amidst their lawsuits filed against one another.
In the footage, Lively and Baldoni can be seen filming a scene in which their characters, Lily and Ryle, have a romantic slow dance for a slow-motion montage.
They appear to speak to one another as themselves, not their characters, as the final scene was intended to be without any scripted dialogue. Take a look at the footage here:
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One of the accusations Lively stated in her lawsuit was that, during the filming of 'a slow dance scene for a montage in which no sound was recorded', Baldoni 'leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, 'it smells so good'.
"When Ms. Lively later objected to this behaviour, Mr. Baldoni’s response was, 'I’m not even attracted to you,'" the suit added.
A statement from Baldoni's legal team that came before the footage reads: "The following videos captured on May 23, 2023 clearly refute Ms. Lively’s characterisation of his behaviour.
"The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another. Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism."
The statement says the clips are 'all three takes filmed of the sequence', but it's unclear whether there is additional footage that was shot and not included.
Lively's legal team dubbed the the video 'damning' towards Baldoni and 'a continuation of their harassment and retaliatory campaign'.
According to the script, the characters are supposed to be 'completely in their own world'.
In a statement to Deadline, Lively's legal team said: "Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her Complaint.
"The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character. "Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present."
The statement continued: "Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively’s boss.
"The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognise Ms. Lively’s discomfort.
"They will recognise her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent."
Lively's legal team added: "This matter is in active litigation in federal court. Releasing this video to the media, rather than presenting it as evidence in court, is another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public.
"It is also a continuation of their harassment and retaliatory campaign. While they are focused on misleading media narratives, we are focused on the legal process.
"We are continuing our efforts to require Mr. Baldoni and his associates to answer in court, under oath, rather than through manufactured media stunts."
Tyla has reached out to Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's representatives for comment.
Topics: Blake Lively, Celebrity, Justin Baldoni, US News, TV And Film
Rhiannon Ingle