Justin Baldoni’s team released unedited footage from the set of “It Ends With Us” that they claim refutes Blake Lively’s accusations of sexual harassment.
After filing a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni’s video — shared by his attorney, Bryan Freedman, and obtained by Fox News Digital — allegedly addresses the actress’ claims about a slow-dance scene.
Lively claimed Baldoni “leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, ‘it smells so good,'” while filming a slow dance montage scene, according to her Dec. 20 sexual harassment filing obtained by Fox News Digital. “When Ms. Lively later objected to this behavior, Mr. Baldoni’s response was, ‘I’m not even attracted to you.’”
However, Baldoni insisted the comment was made in regard to Lively’s own admission about her spray tan.
WATCH: JUSTIN BALDONI RELEASES UNEDITED ‘IT ENDS WITH US’ FOOTAGE FEATURING BLAKE LIVELY
Throughout the video, nearly 10 minutes of raw footage, Baldoni is directing the scene while Lively engages him in conversation because she states that it’s “more romantic” than just staring at each other.
While Baldoni snuggled into Lively’s neck, the actor jokingly asked, “Am I getting beard on you today?” She laughed and said, “I’m probably getting spray tan on you.”
Baldoni then stated, “It smells good,” to which Lively responded, “Well, it’s not that. It’s my body makeup.”
“The following videos captured on May 23, 2023 clearly refute Ms. Lively’s characterization of his behavior,” a statement shared at the beginning of the video stated. “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.”
“These are all three takes filmed of the sequence.”
Lively’s legal team claimed the unedited video is “damning evidence” and “corroborates” her allegations of sexual harassment.
“Justin Baldoni and his lawyer may hope that this latest stunt will get ahead of the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning. Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her Complaint,” Lively’s legal team said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “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. Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively’s boss.”
They added, “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 recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort. They will recognize 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.
“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.”
Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more made by Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department and later in federal court.
Some of the issues allegedly addressed at an “all-hands” meeting before filming began included no more showing nude videos or images of women to Lively, no more mention of Baldoni’s previous “pornography addiction,” no more discussions about personal experiences with sex, no more descriptions of their own genitalia, no more adding sex scenes outside what was in the original script, no more discussions about Lively’s weight or deceased father, and more.
However, Baldoni insisted Lively “falsely” accused him in an attempt to repair her reputation following the fallout around the movie’s press tour after she took control of the film.
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Baldoni’s legal team claimed Lively has no evidence of a deliberate smear campaign and instead worked to repair her reputation by accusing the actor and others of sexual harassment.
Lively “could not tolerate her publicly tainted image for even a moment, and further could not accept that it was entirely of her own making,” the lawsuit read. “She needed a scapegoat. And rather than admit and take accountability for her own mishaps, she chose to blame Plaintiffs, in a malicious and unforgivably public manner.”
“When she and Reynolds could not force Baldoni and Wayfarer to read a statement she and her representatives prepared, extorting them to ‘take accountability’ in defense of Lively’s actions, she lay in wait for months, preparing to publicly attack Baldoni by falsely claiming that he had sexually harassed her.”
Lively’s team slammed Baldoni’s lawsuit in a statement.
“This latest lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its associates is another chapter in the abuser playbook,” the statement provided by Lively’s legal team read. “This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.”
The statement continued, in part: “Their response to sexual harassment allegations: she wanted it, it’s her fault. Their justification for why this happened to her: look what she was wearing. In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.”
