It Ends With Us star and director Justin Baldoni has been dropped by his agency after Blake Lively sued him, claiming he caused her “severe emotional distress”.
News emerged yesterday (December 21) that Lively had filed a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against her former costar. As reported by TMZ, the suit claims that Baldoni exhibited behaviour that caused Lively “severe emotional distress”.
Now, Baldoni has reportedly been dropped by his talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME).
The agency, which also represents Lively, felt action was required swiftly due to the seriousness of Lively’s allegations, per Variety. WME have not commented.
Baldoni was notified of the decision from WME on Saturday (December 21), following Lively’s filing on Friday evening (December 20).
NME has reached out to Baldoni’s legal representatives for comment.
The suit claims Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set of the film. She states that a meeting was held between the two parties and their lawyers, as well as Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, to address the problems.
It is said that the meeting included a number of demands made by Lively, including “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
It added that she demanded “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project”, as reported by TMZ.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni on the set of ‘It Ends with Us’ on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freeman told TMZ that he believed the suit had been filed to “fix” Lively’s “negative reputation”, describing her allegations as “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt”.
Freeman added that Lively “threatened to not [show] up to set, threatened to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release”.
The suit claims that Sony Pictures approved Lively’s demands, adding that Baldoni has since engaged in a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.
It Ends With Us was a box office hit on its release in August, grossing $350million (£280million) at the worldwide box office against a budget of $25million (£20million).
The romantic drama is based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel of the same name and stars Lively as Lily Bloom, a woman navigating a complex relationship with Baldoni’s Ryle Kincaid, eventually confronting his abusive behaviour.
Reports of a rift between the two actors emerged in August, with suggestions that creative differences lay behind the fallout. At the time, neither Lively nor Baldoni commented publicly on their rift, but the director has suggested that he wouldn’t be returning to make the film’s sequel.
“I think there are better people for that one,” Baldoni told Entertainment Tonight at the film’s premiere. “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct. That’s what I think.”
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