Actress Blake Lively to sue co-star over alleged harassment

Blake Lively is reportedly suing her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a campaign to damage her public reputation.

The legal complaint alleges that Baldoni, alongside the film's producer, engaged in disturbing behavior on set, which prompted Lively to bring her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, to a meeting in January this year to address the issue.

The complaint claims that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath were involved in inappropriate conduct, with Lively requesting 30 specific demands to ensure a safe working environment.

Among the requests were demands to avoid discussing their past “pornography addiction,” not to make inappropriate remarks, and to adhere strictly to the script in terms of intimate scenes. Lively also alleged that Baldoni had made unsettling claims, including saying he could communicate with her deceased father.

Lively's legal team contends that Baldoni and the studio had a coordinated effort to retaliate against her, aiming to ruin her career after she raised concerns about the hostile work environment. In response, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, denied the allegations, calling them “categorically false” and accusing Lively of making threats to derail the film unless her demands were met.

Lively’s legal team has stated their aim is to expose retaliatory tactics used to silence those speaking out about misconduct.

The legal action comes after It Ends With Us, a film based on Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel, became a box-office hit, although some critics criticized it for romanticising domestic violence.

Tensions between Lively and Baldoni were speculated to have surfaced when the two did not appear together on the red carpet, and a co-star hinted at a rift in a social media post.