Justin Baldoni complained Blake Lively was 'setting him up for a trap' over sex scenes
Justin Baldoni accused Blake Lively of "setting [him] up for a trap" over her requests when filming intimate scenes during the making of It Ends With Us.
Justin Baldoni accused Blake Lively of "setting [him] up for a trap" during the making of It Ends With Us.
The pair locked in a bitter legal battle over conduct during the making of the romantic drama, and newly-unsealed private messages between the actor-and-director and his former agent Danny Greenberg of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME) revealed a dispute over the filming of intimate scenes.
According to documents obtained by People magazine, Justin texted the agent on 30 December, 2023, complaining of a "really, really bad week" dealing with Blake, and told how she had contacted him directly to suggest a private meeting at the home she shares with husband Ryan Reynolds and their children.
The 41-year-old actor then claimed his co-star had "refused" to use a body double for sex scenes but insisted one took his place, prompting Sony executives and producer Todd Black to step in.
He wrote: “That’s just setting me up for a trap."
Justin also alleged the 38-year-old actress had rejected his storyboards for the scenes and wanted to keep both actors fully clothed during what he saw as a key moment in the film.
He wrote: “If you know the book, it’s just ridiculous."
Justin branded the situation a "gigantic clusterf***" and claimed he had given Blake “95% of what she wants for peace,” but the experience of working with “an actress who is rewriting the writer and director” had been “very draining” and “time-consuming” over the holiday period.
Five days later, Justin, Blake, her husband, and studio representatives took part in an "all-hands" meeting to discuss 17 protections the former Gossip Girl star had requested before production resumed following the Hollywood strikes, which had been agreed in writing in mid-November in order to address her concerns about on-set conduct and safety.
A source insisted the messages show Justin's "retaliatory intent".
The insider told People magazine: "These messages were sent only after Blake had laid out in detail the numerous ways that Baldoni and Heath had created a hostile work environment on the set, after they agreed to more than a dozen 'protections' for the safety of the cast and crew, and just days ahead of the January 4 meeting at which these protections would be discussed before filming resumed.
"The text chain underscores Baldoni’s retaliatory intent.
"It reflects his private anger over the same safeguards that he had said in public were both 'reasonable' and 'essential,' and which he later admitted in his deposition were reasonable, including his resentment for having to show up to an 'all hands' meeting he had also agreed to."
The text exchange surfaced in a motion filed by WME, which asked the court to keep portions of certain summary-judgment exhibits sealed, arguing the materials contain private, non-public internal communications that would not be relevant to legal analysis.
Blake sued Justin and some of his associates in December 2024 for sexual harassment and retaliation, prompting her co-star to deny the claims and file a countersuit, which was dismissed last June.
The next hearing is scheduled for 22 January ahead of a trial, which is set to begin on 18 May.
