First came the screenshots, and now, a lengthy video has become the centerpiece of Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us dispute. On Jan. 21, Baldoni’s lawyer released around 10 minutes of unedited footage from the movie, reportedly claiming that the raw video proves Baldoni did not cross any lines when working with Lively, per TMZ. However, Lively’s team was quick to point out that the actress appears to be visibly uncomfortable throughout the newly released footage.
The video shows Baldoni and Lively filming a scene in It Ends With Us where their characters Ryle and Lily share a romantic dance in a boisterous crowd. As they dance, the actors speak to one another out of character, chatting about their spouses. At one point, Lively jokes that Baldoni could get a nose job after he points out his nose is “so big,” a comment that Baldoni brought up in his lawsuit.
At another point, Baldoni kisses Lively’s neck, and leans in to kiss her on the lips as well, before she backs away and he ends the scene by giving her a twirl. Lively mentioned this moment in her legal complaint against Baldoni, claiming: “None of this was remotely in character, or based on any dialogue in the script … Mr. Baldoni was caressing Mr. Lively with his mouth in a way that had nothing to do with their roles. When Ms. Lively later objected to this behavior, Mr. Baldoni’s response was, ‘I’m not even attracted to you.’”
After the footage of the dance scene was publicly released, Lively’s lawyers released a statement about how the video evidence actually helps prove her point, not his.
“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,” Lively’s attorneys told E! News on Jan. 21. “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.”
“Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present,” the statement reads.
The response goes on to call out the power imbalance at play on the movie’s set. “Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio, and Ms. Lively’s boss. The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk.”
“Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort,” the statement continues. “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.”
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