Sony Pictures, the studio behind It Ends With Us, has released a statement in support of Blake Lively after she sued her co-star and director Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and creating a smear campaign against her.
On Friday (December 20), Lively filed a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against her former co-star. As reported by TMZ, the suit claimed that Baldoni exhibited behaviour that caused Lively “severe emotional distress”.
The undated complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department also accused Baldoni of creating a hostile working environment on set, and claimed he had been trying to tarnish Lively’s reputation with a targeted social media campaign.
Now, Sony Pictures Entertainment has responded to the news. “We have previously expressed our support for Blake in connection with her work on and for the film. We fully and firmly reiterate that support today,” said a spokesperson from the company, per Variety. “Further, we strongly condemn any reputational attacks on her. Any such attacks have no place in our business or in a civil society.”
SAG-AFTRA, the American labour union representing actors, alongside other media professionals, have also issued a statement, saying: “These are startling and troubling allegations. Employees have every right to raise issues of concern or to file complaints. Retaliation for reporting misconduct or inappropriate behaviour is illegal and wrong.
“We applaud Blake Lively’s courage in speaking out on issues of retaliation and harassment and for her request to have an intimacy coordinator for all scenes with nudity or sexual content,” they continued. “This is an important step that helps ensure a safe set.”
Reports of a rift between the two actors emerged in August, with suggestions that creative differences lay behind the fallout, but now 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”.
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 has not commented.
NME has reached out to Baldoni’s legal representatives for comment.
Meanwhile, Lively’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars have publicly defended her.
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.
As NBC reports, the lawsuit alleges that Nathan delivered Baldoni a plan consisting of “social media mitigation,” including “proactive fan posting” and “social manipulations” to “help change narrative” during the film’s promotion.
Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and all its representatives, called Lively’s claims “categorically” false. Freedman said that a crisis PR management team was hired because Lively allegedly threatened to not promote the film or show up to set.
Freedman said to NBC: “TAG PR must be the most powerful group of publicists the world has ever seen for it to be able to completely change the perception of both Amber Heard and Blake Lively.”
He continued to say the only similarity between Lively’s case and Heard’s case is “every move they have made has been out there for everyone to see, widely filmed and documented for the public to make up their own minds — which they did, organically.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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