Blake Lively sues It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni for ‘sexual harassment’ as shocking claims emerge
BLAKE Lively has launched a lawsuit against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni over allegations he kept describing his sex life and asking about her weight.
The Gossip Girl star, 37, claims Baldoni, 40, showed her naked videos and images of other women and kept talking about his alleged previous porn addiction, according to documents seen by TMZ.
Both Hollywood stars appeared in the adaptation of the best-selling Coleen Hoover novel of the same name in August, though the film’s release was marred by a string of alleged bust-ups on set.
In a bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit, the actress accuses Baldoni of a smear campaign to ‘destroy’ her reputation, which he denies.
It claims executives had to arrange an all-hands meeting, attended by Reynolds, 40, after Lively told bosses of her concerns.
The actress is said to have demanded Baldoni stop showing her naked photos of women, talking about his sex life, discussing cast members’ genitalia and asking about his co-star’s weight.
And she also claims to have asked for “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing outside the scope of the script approved when signing onto the project.”
Distributor Sony Pictures approved Lively’s requests but the lawsuit says Baldoni used “social manipulation” to destroy her reputation after she aired her fears.
Mum-of-one Blake, who stars in the film as flower shop owner Lily Bloom, says Baldoni’s actions caused her and her family “severe emotional distress”
In the film, Lily turns a meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni, into a blossoming relationship.
But she finds their fling becomes increasingly like the troubled relationship of her parents, with Lily brutally attacked by Ryle in harrowing domestic violence scenes.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, yesterday branded the lawsuit “shameful” and claimed it was “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious, with an intent to publicly hurt”.
He claimed Blake launched legal action to “fix her negative reputation” after reports that she was “diva-like” on set.
The stars’ spat continued even after production ended with neither being willing to do promotional work or interviews together.
During the publicity blitz, Lively was branded “opportunistic” by fans after using a TV chat to promote her haircare line Blake Brown.
Despite their spat, the film made $350 million at the worldwide box office, and came second only to Reynolds’ Deadpool vs Wolverine on its opening weekend.
After the film’s release, a source told US magazine Variety there would not be a sequel, adding: “There’s probably no world where these two will work together again.”