By Katherine Tinsley
2:28pm PST, Jan 17, 2025
In December, Lively took
legal action against Baldoni and accused him of harassment. Before Lively spoke about the
It Ends With Us director's alleged misconduct, fans noticed that Lively and other actors from the film unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram.
According to the
Jane the Virgin star's suit, Lively
"induced the other cast members to shun Baldoni, in an early attempt to give fans the impression that Baldoni had committed an egregious sin."
Isabela Ferrer, who played the young version of Lively's character in the movie, praised Baldoni's professionalism before seemingly siding with the film's lead.
Baldoni noted that Ferrer thanked him "for an incredible experience."
She allegedly wrote, "You are such a wonderful, smart and sincere director and you created such a comfortable, safe space for me to feel like I could fully step into this role. I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming environment. It will stay with me for the rest of my life!!"
"Tellingly, Ferrer worked with Baldoni when Lively was not on the set; it was not until Ferrer spent substantial time with Lively during film promotions that Ferrer felt compelled to shun Baldoni in repudiation of her warm words," Baldoni's suit noted.
Baldoni sued Lively and Reynolds for $400 million in damages and accused the couple of attempting to destroy him.
"At bottom, this is not a case about celebrities sniping at each other in the press," Baldoni's lawsuit stated. "This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio."
"When Plaintiffs have their day in court, the jury will recognize that even the most powerful celebrity cannot bend the truth to her will," the documents read.
Baldoni's legal team claimed Lively used "threats and extortion" to "relegate" her colleagues to "sit out their own premiere" in the basement.
Baldoni chose to include images of himself and his wife, Emily Baldoni, celebrating the film in court papers.
"They were confined to a makeshift holding area surrounded by concession stand stock, with only fold-out tables and chairs arranged in a square," Justin's legal rep divulged. "Surrounded by close friends, family, soda bottles, and a lot of love, the irony of being held in a basement on what was arguably one of the most important nights of Baldoni's career thus far, was not lost on anyone."
Justin accused the
Gossip Girl star of using an unnamed "megacelebrity" to control the project, likely referring to her pal
Taylor Swift.
While meeting with the pair to discuss the latter's rewrite of
It Ends With Us' infamous rooftop scene, an A-lister, presumably Taylor, entered the partners' New York home while Justin was there.
"Hours later, as the meeting was ending, a famous, and famously close friend of Reynolds and Lively, walked into the room and similarly began praising Lively's script," the paper reads.
"Baldoni understood the subtext: he needed to comply with Lively's direction for the script," the legal documents alleged.
Justin, who suffers from back problems, asked Blake about her weight so he could work with his trainer to lift her for a scene.
However, the dad-of-two revealed Ryan later "swore at Baldoni and accused him of fat-shaming his wife."
"In fact, Lively had earlier expressed insecurity about her postpartum figure, and Baldoni made every attempt to genuinely reassure her," his lawsuit states.
In Justin's legal papers, Blake refers to Ryan and Taylor as her "dragons" and compares herself to Game of Thrones character Khaleesi.
"And like her, I happen to have a few dragons. For better or worse, but usually for better," Blake allegedly told Justin. "Because my dragons also protect those I fight for. So really, we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. you will too, I can promise you."
While filming a scene, Blake allegedly made fun of Justin's appearance.
"Lively apologized for the smell of her spray tan and body makeup. Baldoni responded, 'It smells good,' and continued acting, slow dancing as he believed his character would with his partner, which requires some amount of physical touching," the documents revealed.
"Lively took them out of character again and began to joke about Baldoni's nose, which he laughed off and joked in turn, even as Lively joked that he should get plastic surgery," Baldoni claimed
