Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Say The Leak Ends With Us, Video Proves Their Point

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively feud continues over what exactly happened on the set of It ends with usthe hit film starring the duo and produced by Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studio.

On Tuesday, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, and his team of public relations experts provided information to the media, beginning with The daily mailwith behind-the-scenes footage that they say disproves several key allegations made against Baldoni by Lively. It turned out they involved a scene of the two slow dancing in a bar early in the film as their romance grew, but the audience can’t hear what they say by deliberate design.

Lively filed her suit earlier this month in federal court in the Southern District of New York against Baldoni, Wayfarer CEO Jamie Heath, publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis public relations consultant Melissa Nathan. Baldoni directed and starred in the film, based on the novel by Colleen Hoover. Sony distributed and marketed the film after partnering with Wayfarer.

Lively’s complaint accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and him and his associates of a smear campaign. (He filed his own lawsuit last week against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, seeking at least $400 million in damages.)

Regarding the slow dance sequence, Baldoni “left the camera rolling and had them act out the scene, but didn’t play the role of Ryle; instead, he spoke to Ms. Lively in a manner inconsistent with himself,” according to Lively’s lawsuit. In other words, the dialogue was improvised, giving Lively no chance to prepare.

“At one point he leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear down to her neck saying, ‘It smells so good,'” she continued in her suit.

The nearly 10-minute video, shared by Baldoni’s team at Daily Mailfeatured three takes of the dance scene. Freedman says the footage shows that both actors behaved within the framework of the scene and with “mutual respect and professionalism.”

However, this undoubtedly remains subject to interpretation. When Baldoni repeatedly tries to kiss her, Lively repeatedly turns her head away and repeatedly says that talking would be a more effective way to convey the nature of their budding romance.

Lively’s lawyers wrote in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that “every frame of the images broadcast corroborates” the actress’s claims, adding that the videos are “fabricated media stunts.” The actress-producer is represented by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

Continuing, they said: “Justin Baldoni and his attorney may hope that this latest case will outpace the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning. Each image of the images broadcast corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in paragraph 48 of her complaint. The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning toward Ms. Lively, trying to kiss her, kissing her on the forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, brushing her lips 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 without discussion or prior consent, and without the presence of an intimacy coordinator.

They also note that Baldoni was the one in power; not only was he her co-star, but also the director of the film, the boss of Wayfarer and therefore her boss.

“The video shows Ms. Lively leaning over and repeatedly asking the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been touched inappropriately in the workplace will recognize Ms Lively’s discomfort. They will recognize his attempts at levity to try to deflect unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by her employer without her consent,” her lawyers said. “This matter is the subject of 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 campaign of harassment and retaliation.

Freedman is indeed a no-holds-barred trial lawyer. Although he has yet to respond directly to the lawsuit Lively filed on behalf of Baldoni and the other defendants, he continued The New York Times for allegedly conspiring with Lively’s PR team to advance an “unverified and self-serving narrative” while ignoring evidence that contradicted her claims. He and Baldoni also implicate Disney and Marvel Studios, claiming that Reynolds used the Nicepool character in Deadpool and Wolverine to make fun of him.

Asked Tuesday evening for a response to the claim that the release of the footage was a “media stunt,” Freedman said in a statement to THR“Before filing her complaint in court, Ms. Lively went to The New York Times with the aim of publicly destroying Justin Baldoni. When Mr. Baldoni exercises his right to publicly defend himself by presenting actual facts and evidence, for Ms. Lively and her team, it instantly becomes morally and ethically wrong. Ms. Lively wishes very different standards applied to her, but fortunately, truth and authenticity apply to everyone and can never be wrong. Looking at the video and the evidence to come, I can understand why Ms. Lively would not want this to play out in public.

For its part, Lively’s legal team said, “While they focus on misleading media narratives, we focus on the legal process.” We continue our efforts to demand that Mr. Baldoni and his associates answer in court, under oath, rather than through fabricated media stunts.