Justin Baldoni is clapping back!
In the It Ends With Us director’s lawsuit against the New York Times filed on Tuesday, he hits back at tons of Blake Lively‘s allegations about his supposedly unprofessional behavior. And that includes the claim he had an emotional breakdown in her trailer!
As you’ll recall, the Gossip Girl alum claimed in her sexual harassment complaint that Justin was an emotional mess after paparazzi photos of the production leaked and fans claimed Blake “looked old” for the role. As complaints about the film started to take over the internet, Justin allegedly “made the rest of the cast and crew wait for hours” on the second day of filming “while he cried in Ms. Lively’s dressing room.” Blake supposedly tried to “reassure him that she should look authentic in the scenes,” which were “after her character had been abused” but the Jane the Virgin alum “appeared focused on Ms. Lively’s sexual appeal above all else.”
Related: Fans Think Luke Wilson Called Kate Beckinsale The C-Word On Movie Set!
Ugh. Not great. It really sounded like Justin was upset Blake wasn’t going to be hot enough for him because of what dudebros on the internet were saying.
But IS that what happened??
Justin opened up about all this in his filing, sharing a very different version of the story. In the filing, obtained by Variety, the actor recalled photos leaking of Blake “wearing her self-selected wardrobe” — and yes, some online critics didn’t like how she looked. But it wasn’t Justin that was upset about it, he claims — it was the film’s distributor, Sony Pictures! He claimed:
“These images were described as unflattering and sparked a backlash from the Film’s distributor, Sony. Baldoni received direct criticism from Sony, who voiced concerns about the impact of the photos on the Film’s public perception.”
That’s why the Five Feet Apart filmmaker went to chat with his leading lady about the controversy, he recalled:
“Following these events, Baldoni approached Lively in her trailer to discuss necessary wardrobe adjustments. The conversation, while professional, took considerable time and was later grossly misrepresented in Lively’s CRD Complaint, falsely characterizing the exchange as a ‘lengthy outburst’ that delayed filming and caused the crew to ‘wait for hours while [Baldoni] cried in Lively’s dressing room.’ This account — later published by the Times — is false.”
So what happened?? He says he had to have the tough conversation because of the studio — and was not having a meltdown or anything like it. He says he DID “briefly tear up during the conversation,” but it was for a totally different reason than she implied! He claims:
“It was in response to what he believed was a genuine compliment from Lively, praising his work as a director and actor.”
DAMN!!
She called him out for crying because he was moved by a compliment?! Really?? If that’s true, the accusation put forth by her team is a gross mischaracterization. As for why she’d allegedly do something like this, the suit says:
“In hindsight, Baldoni recognized this as a manipulation tactic, likely intended to persuade him to continue allowing her unchecked control over wardrobe decisions.”
She then, as reported, went on to use his conversation to support her claims of harassment, arguing that he “made inappropriate ‘comments on her appearance'” when he was just “relaying the distributor’s concerns and the widespread social media criticism regarding the wardrobe’s failure to meet audience expectations — a sentiment Baldoni shared.”
But if he “shared” these concerns, maybe his delivery wasn’t the best? Blake has claimed Justin made other comments about her appearance and weight, so we could see how this kind of interaction would upset her. Regardless, the filing declared:
“This incident marked the beginning of a troubling pattern of manipulative behavior by Lively.”
And all of this was happening on the SECOND day of filming! So it sounds like they were embroiled in a nasty feud pretty much the entire production. Oof. Interesting that they’re both trying to put the blame on Sony when necessary! They yet again have two very different versions of the story… Which do U think is likely more accurate?! Tell us (below)!
[Image via Phil Lewis/WENN & Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube]
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