Blake Lively Blasts Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Raw Footage
Blake Lively has slammed Justin Baldoni after he released a 10-minute long raw footage of a crucial scene from their movie.
Blake Lively has slammed her "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni after he released a 10-minute long raw footage of a crucial scene from their movie.
The actor's legal team released the clip in an attempt to disprove Lively's sexual harassment claims in her lawsuit.
However, according to a new report, Blake Lively is happy that Justin Baldoni released the video, as she believes it proves she was sexually harassed and shows how uncomfortable she was during the scene.
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On Tuesday, Baldoni released footage from his film set with Lively, showcasing interactions between the actors, which his legal team claims challenges Livelyâs December 20 sexual harassment allegations against her co-star and director.
However, in a lengthy statement, Lively's lawyers applauded the release of the video, insisting it proves the allegations made in the actress's lawsuit.
They told TMZ: "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 damning. Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her Complaint."
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"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 lawyers continued.Blake Lively's Lawyers Claim The Video Resonates With Women Harassed At Their Workplace By Their Bosses
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In their statement, Lively's lawyers claimed that Baldoni "improvised" the scene and made the actress uncomfortable, as there were allegedly no prior discussions.
They also noted that while Lively and Baldoni were co-stars, the actor also served as the director and her "employer," implying there was a power imbalance.
The lawyers said, "Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present. Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Livelyâs co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Livelyâs boss."
According to the legal team, the actress leaning away from Baldoni in the scene was not an act, as she seemingly felt "discomfort" after allegedly being touched without consent.
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"The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk," Lively's lawyers continued. "Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Livelyâs 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."