Hollywood stars including America Ferrera support actress after Baldini lawsuit

Hollywood stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel have publicly supported US actress Blake Lively after she filed a lawsuit against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.

Ms. Lively filed a lawsuit against Mr. Baldoni over the weekend, alleging sexual harassment and a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.

Mr Baldoni’s legal team told the BBC on Saturday that the allegations were “categorically false”.

Ferrera, Tamblyn and Bledel, who starred with Lively in the 2005 film “The Sisters of the Traveling Pants,” issued a joint statement on Instagram on Sunday they said they “stand with her in solidarity.”

Colleen Hoover, the author of “It Ends With Us,” also showed her support, describing Ms. Lively as “honest, kind, supportive and patient.”

Ms. Lively’s lawyers say the legal complaint follows a meeting earlier this year that discussed “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior” by Baldoni, her co-star and the film’s producer.

In their statement, Ferrera, Tamblyn and Bledel said, “As Blake’s friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the alleged campaign to destroy her reputation.”

“During the filming of It Ends with Us, we saw her muster the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and her colleagues on set, and we are horrified to read the evidence of a deliberate and vengeful attempt , which followed to discredit her voice. “

They added: “Most disturbing is the blatant exploitation of the stories of domestic violence survivors to silence a woman who has asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding.”

“We are struck by the fact that a woman, even one as strong, celebrated and resourceful as our friend Blake, can face severe retaliation if she dares to demand a safe work environment,” it said Explanation continues.

“Our sister’s courage to stand up for herself and others inspires us.”

Mr. Baldoni’s lawyers said they hired a crisis manager because Ms. Lively had threatened to derail the film if her demands were not met.

In the drama “It Ends With Us,” Ms. Lively plays a woman who finds herself in a relationship with a charming but abusive boyfriend, played by Mr. Baldoni.

Colleen Hoover, the author of the novel on which the film is based, also expressed her support in a post on her Instagram Stories: “@BlakeLively, you have been nothing but honest, kind since the day we met , supportive and patient.”

“Thank you for being exactly the person you are.

“Never change. Never wither.”

She then linked to a New York Times article titled “We Can Bury Everyone: Inside A Hollywood Smear Machine.”

Hoover also reissued the statement by Ferrara, Bledel and Tamblyn, adding, “These women’s testimony and Blake’s ability to refuse to sit down and ‘be buried’ were nothing short of inspiring.”

The meeting between Ms. Lively and Mr. Baldoni, along with others involved in the film’s production as well as Ms. Lively’s actor husband Ryan Reynolds, took place on Jan. 4, 2024, and was aimed at addressing “the hostile work environment” on set, Ms. Lively said Submission.

Mr. Baldoni attended the meeting in his capacity as co-chairman and co-founder of Wayfarer Studios, which produced the film. He was also the director of the film.

In the lawsuit, Ms. Lively’s lawyers allege that both Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath engaged in “inappropriate and unwelcome conduct toward Ms. Lively and others on the set of It Ends With Us.”

In the filing with the California Department of Civil Rights, a list of 30 demands related to the couple’s alleged misconduct were made at the meeting to ensure they could continue producing the film.

Among other things, Ms. Lively requested that Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath’s past “pornography addiction” be no longer mentioned to Ms. Lively or other crew members, that no further descriptions of her own genitals be made to Ms. Lively, and that “no more sex be added.” . Scenes, oral sex or on-camera climaxes by BL (Blake Lively) outside the scope of the script that BL approved when signing the project,” the complaint states.

Ms. Lively also demanded that Mr. Baldoni stop saying he could talk to her dead father.

Ms. Lively’s legal team also accuses Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of pursuing a “multi-stage plan” to destroy her reputation.

She claims this was “the intended result of a carefully crafted, coordinated and resourced retaliation plan to deter her and others from speaking out about the hostile environment that Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath created.”

In response to the legal complaint, Mr. Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, said Saturday: “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false allegations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and their representatives.”

Mr. Freedman accused Ms. Lively of making numerous demands and threats, including “threatening not to show up on set, threatening not to promote the film,” which would ultimately “lead to its downfall during release if her demands.” would not be fulfilled.” .

He claimed that Ms Lively’s claims were “intentionally salacious, with the intent to publicly offend and rehash a narrative in the media”.

In a statement from her lawyers to the BBC, Ms Lively said: “I hope my legal action will help lift the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak out about wrongdoing and protect others who may be involved be targeted.”

She also denied that she or any of her representatives had submitted or disseminated negative information about Mr. Baldoni or Wayfarer.

The film was a box office hit, although some critics said it romanticized domestic violence.