Justin Baldoni’s team has released unedited footage from the set of “It Ends With Us,” which they say refutes Blake Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment.
After submitting a $400 million lawsuit To Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni’s video — shared by his attorney, Bryan Freedman, and obtained by Fox News Digital — allegedly addresses the actress’ claims of a slow-dance scene.
Lively alleged that Baldoni “leaned in and slowly dragged his lips from her ear to her neck while saying, ‘it smells so good'” while filming a slow dance montage scene, according to her Dec. 20 sexual harassment filing obtained by Fox News digital. “When Ms. Lively later objected to this behavior, Mr. Baldoni responded, ‘I’m not even attracted to you.'”
Baldoni, however, insisted the comment was made in reference to Lively’s own admission about her spray tan.
Justin Baldoni has released unedited footage from the “It Ends With Us” set. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
WATCH: JUSTIN BALDONI DELIVERS UNEDITED ‘IT ENDS WITH US’ FOOTAGE WITH BLAKE LIVELY
Throughout the video, nearly 10 minutes of raw footage, Baldoni directs the scene as Lively engages him in conversation, as she states it is “more romantic” than just staring at each other.
As Baldoni snuggled into Lively’s neck, the actor jokingly asked, “Am I getting a beard with you today?” She laughed and said, “I’ll probably get a spray tan from you.”
Baldoni then said, “It smells nice,” to which Lively replied, “Well, it’s not. It’s my body makeup.”
“The following videos taken on May 23, 2023 clearly refute Ms. Lively’s characterization of his behavior,” said a statement at the beginning of the video. “The scene in question is designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to each other. Both actors clearly conduct themselves well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism.”
“These are all three shots from the series.”
A representative for Lively did not respond to Fox News Digital’s immediate request for comment.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively seen on the set of “It Ends with Us” on January 12, 2024. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
“The scene in question is designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to each other. Both actors clearly conduct themselves well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism.”
Vivid, detailed allegations of sexual harassmentretaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and more made by Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint filed first with the California Civil Rights Department and later in federal court.
Some of the issues reportedly raised during an “all-hands” meeting before filming began included no longer showing Lively nude videos or images of women, no more mention of Baldoni’s previous “pornography addiction” , no more discussing personal experiences with sex, no more descriptions of their own genitals, no more adding sex scenes outside of what was in the original script, no more discussions about Lively’s weight or dead father, and more.
However, Baldoni insisted that Lively “falsely” accused him in an attempt to repair her reputation following the fallout from the film’s press tour after she took control of the film.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively filmed “It Ends With Us” in 2023 and 2024. (Getty Images)
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Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
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Baldoni’s legal team claimed that Lively has no evidence of a deliberate smear campaign and instead sought to restore her reputation by accusing the actor and others of sexual harassment.
Lively “could not tolerate for a moment her publicly tarnished image, nor could she accept that it was entirely of her own making,” the lawsuit said. “She needed a scapegoat. And instead of admitting and taking responsibility for her own misfortunes, she chose to blame the plaintiffs, in a malicious and inexcusably public manner.”
“When she and Reynolds failed to force Baldoni and Wayfarer to read a statement she and her representatives prepared extorting them to ‘take responsibility’ in defense of Lively’s actions, she lay in wait for months and prepared for publicly attacking Baldoni by falsely claiming he had sexually harassed her.”
Justin Baldoni sued Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for civil racketeering, defamation and more. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Lively’s team dismissed Baldoni’s lawsuit in a statement.
“This latest lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and his associates is a new chapter in the abuse manual,” said the statement from Lively’s legal team. “This is an age-old story: a woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser tries to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Denial. Attack. Reverse Victim Perpetrator.”
The statement continued in part: “Their response to sexual harassment allegations: she wanted it, it’s her fault. Their justification for why this happened to her: Look what she was wearing. In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy to attack the woman is desperate, it does not rebut the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint and will fail.”
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