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Blake Lively Slams Justin Baldoni's IEWU BTS Video Release as 'Unethical Attempt' to Sway Public Opinion
Amid a legal battle with Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively condemned his release of raw footage from the It Ends With Us set as an "unethical attempt" to manipulate the public's perception.
Blake Lively is speaking out amid her legal battle against Justin Baldoni after he released a never-before-seen video showing what it was like on the It Ends With Us set.
A legal team representing the actress, who is suing her director-co-star for sexual harassment and violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act and the California Civil Code, said on January 21 that the 10-minute allegedly raw footage “corroborates to the letter what Ms. Lively described” in her lawsuit.
“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 damaging,” her attorneys told E! News on Tuesday. “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."
The Gossip Girl alum’s legal team alleged that every moment of the scene 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 the studio, and Ms. Lively’s boss," their statement continued. "The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk."
Lively’s counsel added, "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."
In their statement, Lively’s team also accused the Jane the Virgin star of presenting an “unethical attempt” to manipulate the public through the release of the behind-the-scenes footage.
Baldoni’s legal team defended the move on Tuesday, saying the actor and his associates, who are also facing a lawsuit by Lively, have the right to defend themselves by putting forth their version of facts and evidence.
"Ms. Lively wants very different standards to apply to her, but fortunately, truth and authenticity apply to everyone and can never be wrong," Baldoni’s lawyer added.
The footage in question showed both Lively and Baldoni speaking out of their characters, Lily and Ryle, while filming a romantic slow-dancing sequence. The conversations between the two ranged from Lively making fun of Baldoni’s nose to her jesting about the smell of her spray tan making her co-star uncomfortable. Baldoni laughs off both remarks in the footage.
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