Blake Lively‘s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars have publicly defended her after the actress sued It Ends With Us star and director Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment.
On Friday (December 20), Lively filed a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against her former costar. As reported by TMZ, the suit claims that Baldoni exhibited behaviour that caused Lively “severe emotional distress”.
Now, Lively’s “friends and sisters” America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, who she co-starred with in the 2005 film and its 2008 sequel, have released a statement via Instagram in support of her.
“We stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” the trio wrote. “Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.
“Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivor stories to silence a woman who asked for safety,” the statement continues. “The hypocrisy is astounding. We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment.”
Ferrera, Tamblyn, and Bledel went on to encourage others to read the full legal complaint detailed in The New York Times. “We are inspired by our sister’s courage to stand up for herself and others,” they added.
It follows It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover also speaking out in support of Lively shortly after the news of the lawsuit broke. Taking to her Instagram story, Hoover wrote: “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met,” she wrote. “Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
On Saturday (December 22), Baldoni was reportedly dropped by his talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME). The agency, which also represents Lively, felt action was required swiftly due to the seriousness of Lively’s allegations, per Variety. WME have not commented.
NME has reached out to Baldoni’s legal representatives for comment.
Lively said in a statement to The Times, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
The suit claims Baldoni sexually harassed Lively on the set of the film. She states that a meeting was held between the two parties and their lawyers, as well as Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, to address the problems.
It is said that the meeting included a number of demands made by Lively, including “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
It added that she demanded “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project”, as reported by TMZ.
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freeman told TMZ that he believed the suit had been filed to “fix” Lively’s “negative reputation”, describing her allegations as “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt”.
Freeman added that Lively “threatened to not [show] up to set, threatened to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release”.
The suit claims that Sony Pictures approved Lively’s demands, adding that Baldoni has since engaged in a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.
It Ends With Us was a box office hit on its release in August, grossing $350million (£280million) at the worldwide box office against a budget of $25million (£20million).
The romantic drama is based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel of the same name and stars Lively as Lily Bloom, a woman navigating a complex relationship with Baldoni’s Ryle Kincaid, eventually confronting his abusive behaviour.
Reports of a rift between the two actors emerged in August, with suggestions that creative differences lay behind the fallout. At the time, neither Lively nor Baldoni commented publicly on their rift, but the director did suggest that he wouldn’t be returning to make the film’s sequel.
“I think there are better people for that one,” Baldoni told Entertainment Tonight at the film’s premiere. “I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct. That’s what I think.”
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