Did Blake Lively threaten Justin Baldoni to get him to write a letter praising her? That’s what he claimed! And now the letter in question is out — so everyone can see what he had to say about her!
In his libel lawsuit against The New York Times, Justin alleged the Gossip Girl alum demanded a producer credit on It Ends With Us and threatened not to promote the film or approve any marketing materials if she didn’t get her way — her contractual obligations be damned! At the demands of Sony, his production company Wayfarer Studios agreed. Blake got the producer credit. However, she wanted more.
Related: Blake Lively Posts For First Time Since Justin Baldoni Lawsuit
According to Justin, the actress then asked for “the coveted p.g.a. mark on her producer credit — a certified designation licensed by the Producers Guild of America (PGA) to identify producers who have performed the majority of the producing functions on a motion picture.” She wanted Justin, his producing partner Jamey Heath, and other producers and department heads to send letters to the PGA supporting her certification. While others gave in, Justin and Wayfarer refused! They felt Blake didn’t perform any producer duties and thus didn’t “qualify for the p.g.a. mark — a distinction highly valued and taken seriously within the industry.”
To be clear, a simple producer credit can be given to ANYONE. There are tons of movies where stars get producer credits as a way to get extra money or make them look better — when all they did was act in the movie. Sometimes it means something, sometimes it doesn’t. But when you see that “p.g.a” after their name in the credits, that means they produced that movie.
Justin would not cave and “misrepresent her contributions” to IEWU, feeling it would be “unjust and unethical to falsely represent to the PGA that she had fulfilled the requisite producing responsibilities.” Well, Blake did NOT like that response! Justin claimed the A Simple Favor star told Sony to inform him and his company that “any good will left between us is done” from here on out. Yeesh. And she was not giving up without a fight!
After “persistent threats levied against” the production company, he says, they felt they had no choice but to write the letter for Blake. Once Justin and Jamey penned the note, however, the latter sent a copy to Wayfarer’s lawyers on June 27, 2024, along with a statement claiming it was signed “under duress.” Whoa. It said:
“As you know, we received a request to write a recommendation on behalf of Blake for her to receive the PGA mark. This was a request that we felt was unreasonable and cold hearted. Essentially, the movie IEWU has been taken unjustly from Justin as a director and essentially from Wayfarer’s control due to the extortion of Blake. Without going into all the details of the events that transpired over the months, Justin and I ended up agreeing to write the letter due to feeling trapped. She continues to hold a threat over our heads and every time we try and hold a line she uses that threat directly or indirectly to get us to fold. Make no mistake, I am not suggesting that we were literally forced to acquiesce, but given the high profile movie, the partnership with Sony, the amount of money invested and the need to complete the movie, we have written the letter on her behalf, omitting the truth of how and why she was able to contribute in the ways we listed.”
Wow. The fact he sent this back then does prove this wasn’t part of some smear campaign after the fact. Huh.
See the email (below):
That’s the email about the letter Blake wanted. But what words did they say “under duress”??
Jamey attached the letter in question to the email, but it wasn’t included in the lawsuit. However, In Touch got its hands on the actual note on Thursday! And it was a glowing review of Blake despite all the behind-the-scenes drama! Per the letter obtained by the outlet, Jamey and Justin wrote to the Producers Guild of America:
“We hope this letter finds you well. We are writing to inform you of the significant role and contributions that Blake Lively has played in the making of the film, It Ends With Us, based on the best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover. This film has meant a great deal both personally and to our company, Wayfarer Studios, as we optioned the property nearly five years ago. As such, we’ve been directly involved in overseeing every step of development from adapting the book to the big screens to bringing on our co-financier distributor, Sony, and of course, casting our lead.”
They then went on to list all the ways Blake contributed to the movie (again, something they apparently didn’t think she did?):
“From the time Blake was brought on, she has had an instrumental voice in many different aspects in the making of the film. Her contributions have been impactful as she was consulted with many of the casting options, she helped to refine the script, she redesigned her own wardrobe as well as gave notes on others, she contributed to the production design and set decoration and had influence on how many of the scenes were shot. Blake has been very involved in the post process. She has had an active role in the edit, the sound mix and has made decisions on the music selection and score. She also continues to find creative ways to promote the film so that it can achieve its greatest success.”
Justin and Jamey then urged the guild to consider giving Blake the p.g.a. mark, saying:
“Since contractually she began the movie with an EP credit, our earlier submission to the PGA did not include her as a named Producer, but we both feel her contributions have warranted the revised credit and consideration for the PGA mark.”
Ultimately, Blake got her wish. She did get a p.g.a. mark, even though Justin and Jamey didn’t really think she deserved one. Wow. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.
[Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube]
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