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American actress Blake Lively is supported by It ends with us the author Colleen Hoover after accusing Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment in a legal complaint.
Hoover’s support for Lively comes after that The New York Times published alleged text messages from Baldoni, suggesting that he orchestrated the smear campaign. Baldoni has since been dropped by his agencyWME.
The lawsuit alleges that a meeting was held attended by Lively, her husband Ryan ReynoldsBaldonis and their lawyers, to address Age of Adeline Star appeals from It ends with us set.
Lively had a number of demands to work on the film, including “no more showing Blake nude videos or pictures of women, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged past ‘pornography addiction’ [and] no more discussing sexual conquests in front of Blake and others.”
The lawsuit also specified: “There are no further references to the cast and crew’s genitalia, no further inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further references to Blake’s dead father.”
Baldoni, 40, who also directed the film, and the studio behind the romantic drama were accused of embarking on a “multi-layered plan” to tarnish Lively’s reputation after a meeting in which allegations against Baldoni and the film’s producers of “repeated sexual harassment and other harassing behavior,” according to the legal document he shared The New York Times.
The damages suit, which precedes the lawsuit, names Baldoni, his publicists and Wayfarer Studios as defendants.
U It ends with us, based on Hoover’s novel of the same name, Lily (Lively) falls in love with Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) before reconnecting with her first love (Brandon Sklenar) – against a backdrop of domestic violence.
In a post on her Instagram stories, Hoover wrote: “@blakelively since the day we met you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient.
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“Thank you for being exactly the man you are. Never change. Never wither.”
Then she connected with a The New York Times article entitled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside the Hollywood Smear Machine”.
The article details the complaint including allegations that Baldoni retained a crisis communications expert who, with the director and “approval” of the studio, launched a “sophisticated, coordinated and well-funded retaliation plan” creating “manufactured content” to “influence public opinion.”
“I hope my legal action will help pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and help protect others who may be targeted,” Lively said in a statement to the newspaper.
Bryan Freedman, a lawyer representing Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and their representatives, told the US publication that the claims were “completely false, outrageous and deliberately malicious”.
Rumors of a strained relationship between Lively and Baldoni began around the film’s release in early August.
Baldoni is also known for his role as Rafael Solano in the telenovela Jane The Virgin and wrote a book called Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity about rejecting traditional notions of masculinity.
Lively has four children with husband Ryan Reynolds, the Deadpool actor who co-owns Wrexham AFC football team.
She has acted in films including The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Age Of Adalineand Simple serviceand played Serena van der Woodsen in the hit teen drama series Gossip Girl.
The Independent has contacted Justin Baldoni’s representatives for comment.
Additional PA reporting.