The story behind the romantic drama movie It Ends With Us
continues to evolve as Blake Lively
has now filed a lawsuit against her costar Justin Baldoni
claiming sexual harassment and “severe emotional distress.” This comes after months of rumors surrounding the making of the movie, which has seen Lively being trolled online, and complaints of Baldoni’s behavior constantly doing the rounds on social media.
The movie sees Lively playing Lily, a woman who meets and falls in love with Baldoni’s Ryle after moving to a new city. However, their relationship becomes more complicated when Lily’s former lover appears back in her life. The film scored a win at the box office as it played into a battle of the sexes between Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds, who was starring in Deadpool & Wolverine at the same time, and landed a huge viewership on Netflix recently on its streaming debut.
However, discourse about the movie has been ongoing for months. Reports earlier in the year claimed that Baldoni was “borderline abusive” on set, and “extremely difficult” to work with, creating a hostile atmosphere for not only Lively but the rest of the cast. Back in August, when the press tour began, it was clear that there were issues and tension between the pair, but sources noted that there was “so much more to this story.” Now it seems that is indeed the case.
What is Blake Lively’s Lawsuit Claiming?
According to TMZ, the 37-year-old claims that Baldoni launched a “coordinated effort to destroy her reputation.” While Baldoni’s team has countered all the claims made by Lively, stating that the actress is simply trying to boost said reputation, which is not exactly glowing in the eyes of many on social media.
The suit details a meeting that was held during the filming of It Ends with Us, after the toxic atmosphere on set became so bad that Lively demanded several changes to Baldoni’s behavior. These included that Baldoni was to refrain from showing nude images of women to Lively, stop discussing his own sex life, and make no further mention of Lively’s weight or dead father. She also requested that there would be no changes to the intimate content of the movie beyond the scope of the original script she signed on to film.
Related
It Ends With Us Sequel in Doubt Amid Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni Feud
Sources say that the feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is so beyond repair, making a sequel to It Ends with Us nearly impossible.
While all the requests made were accommodated by the studio, it did not help to relieve the tension on set, and especially between Lively and Baldoni. The suit includes written conversations between the publicist of Baldoni and the studio, in which they said that Lively could be “buried” although they could not “write we will destroy her.”
Baldoni’s lawyers have countered these claims, saying that the lawsuit is an attempt to “fix her negative reputation,” and that Lively was a “nightmare” on set as she was often seen “threatening to not show up on set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.”
It seems that the bad air that has plagued the movie’s release is now set to continue long after attention on the film itself has faded away.
Based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel, It Ends With Us is a drama-romance film directed by Justin Baldoni. The film follows a recent college graduate named Lily, who meets a man named Ryle and falls in love with him. However, a traumatic incident compounded with her former high-school sweetheart re-entering her life complicates her plans.
- Release Date
-
August 9, 2024
- Runtime
-
130 Minutes
- Cast
-
Blake Lively
, Justin Baldoni
, Brandon Sklenar
, Jenny Slate
, Hasan Minhaj
, Amy Morton
, Kevin McKidd
, Isabela Ferrer
, Alex Neustaedter
, Robert Clohessy
, Robyn Lively
, Megan Robinson
, Robin S. Walker
, Emily Baldoni
, Adam Mondschein
, Caroline Siegrist
, Steve Monroe
, Daphne Zelle