The highly anticipated film adaptation of It Ends With Us has become the center of a legal storm, with lead actress Blake Lively and co-star-director Justin Baldoni entangled in a messy courtroom battle.
What started as a professional collaboration quickly turned into a heated dispute, with Lively accusing Baldoni of inappropriate behavior on set and Baldoni firing back with a multimillion-dollar countersuit.
The case has divided fans and industry insiders, with both sides presenting conflicting versions of what really happened during production.
Lively’s Allegations Against Baldoni
Blake Lively has made serious claims against Baldoni, alleging that he engaged in unwanted physical contact, including unsolicited kissing, and made inappropriate comments about his personal life.
According to her, he also attempted to insert unnecessary explicit scenes into the movie script.
Lively took her grievances to court in January, filing a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment.
In response, Baldoni launched a counterclaim for $400 million, alleging defamation, civil extortion, and invasion of privacy.
He also created a website, thelawsuitinfo.com, where he shared his perspective along with a collection of emails, texts, and handwritten notes that he believes disprove Lively’s accusations.
The Role of the Intimacy Coordinator
A major point of contention in this case revolves around the presence—or absence—of an intimacy coordinator.
Lively has suggested that Baldoni took control of intimate scenes without a coordinator’s involvement.
However, Baldoni argues that an intimacy coordinator was hired from the beginning and that Lively chose to delay meeting with her until filming started.
According to Baldoni’s records, on April 5, 2023, he informed Lively via text about the hiring of an intimacy coordinator.
He reportedly invited her to connect with the coordinator in advance, but she declined, responding, “I feel good.
I can meet her when we start 🙂 thank you though!” This led Baldoni to proceed with the coordinator independently, later relaying her notes to Lively himself—a move that, he claims, put him in an unfortunate position of having to discuss intimate scenes directly with his co-star.
Disputes Over Intimate Scenes
One of the most debated elements in this legal battle is the discussion of specific intimate scenes, particularly one involving a scripted orgasm.
Lively claims Baldoni inappropriately introduced the idea himself, but he insists it came directly from the intimacy coordinator’s recommendations.
His handwritten notes from an April 21, 2023, meeting with the coordinator include words like “orgasm,” “foreplay,” and “cl*t test,” which he says were professional notes intended to shape the film’s sex scenes from a female perspective.
Baldoni’s lawsuit argues that Lively failed to differentiate between a professional discussion about acting and actual harassment, misrepresenting their creative conversations as personal and inappropriate.
The Nudity Rider Debate
Another major aspect of the case revolves around a nudity rider, a legal document specifying boundaries for intimate scenes.
Lively has claimed that she wasn’t given one until later in production, but Baldoni’s records show that she received it as early as May 8, 2023.
His timeline states that her team reviewed and approved it before any intimate scenes were filmed.
Despite this, Lively later requested additional restrictions, including the requirement that only pre-approved professionals—not Baldoni’s “friends”—could be involved in filming sex scenes.
The Improvised Kissing Scene
One of Lively’s central allegations is that Baldoni forced unwanted kissing during a scene in which their characters, Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid, share a romantic moment in a hospital.
She claims Baldoni went off-script, adding additional kisses without her consent.
However, Baldoni disputes this, stating that Lively herself initiated multiple takes with varying numbers of kisses.
His legal team argues that her claim of improvised kissing contradicts her own actions on set, where she allegedly determined how many kisses occurred in each take.
The dispute over this moment has become a key element in their legal battle.
Lively’s 30 Demands for a Safer Set
Beyond her allegations against Baldoni, Lively reportedly made a list of 30 conditions to address what she described as a “hostile work environment.”
These included prohibiting conversations about pornography, sex lives, and past HR complaints.
She also requested that an experienced producer oversee the set to ensure professional behavior and that no “retaliatory” actions be taken against her for speaking up.
Additionally, she asked that no nude videos or images of women, including those of the producer’s wife, be shown to her or her employees—a request that raises further questions about the on-set culture.
A Legal Battle That’s Far From Over
With both sides holding firm in their claims, the legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni shows no signs of resolution anytime soon.
As court proceedings continue, new evidence and testimonies may shift the public’s perception of what truly transpired during the making of It Ends With Us.
For now, Hollywood remains divided, with fans, industry professionals, and legal experts closely watching to see how this high-profile case unfolds.
This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!
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