Blake Lively's Complaint Accuses Justin Baldoni of Smear Campaign

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Justin Baldoni Speaks Out Over Blake Lively's Sexual Harassment Legal Complaint

Blake Lively alleges that Justin Baldoni launched a smear run against her aft she accused him of sexually harassing her on the acceptable of their movie It Ends With Us.

The histrion elaborate her accusations successful a ineligible ailment filed with the California Civil Rights Department, The New York Times reported Dec. 21. In the documents, obtained by E! News, Lively accuses Baldoni, besides her costar, of utilizing a situation PR adept to assistance instrumentality a program to destruct her estimation portion support his own.

The Gossip Girl alum, who coproduced the film, alleges this happened aft she had reported the director's alleged misconduct to their chap producers and aboriginal obtained from his studio, Wayfarer, a contractual rider that had promised to instrumentality much safeguards connected the film's acceptable and had besides stated she was not to beryllium retaliated against for raising her concerns.

The complaint, a precursor to a suit and filed pursuing months of rumors of a rift betwixt Lively and Baldoni,, includes screenshots of respective substance and email discussions allegedly sent and received by the manager and PR reps progressive successful the alleged smear campaign, which the actress' ineligible squad had obtained done a subpoena.

"He wants to consciousness similar she tin beryllium buried..." Baldoni's publicist, Jennifer Abel, allegedly wrote astir Baldoni and Lively successful a substance to situation PR adept Melissa Nathan successful August portion discussing the plan, the documents state.

Response texts purportedly from Nathan included the words, "We can't constitute we volition destruct her" and "you cognize we tin hide anyone. But I can't constitute that to him."

The ailment alleges that days later, Baldoni sent his publicist a screenshot of different person's societal media station that accused, without evidence, Hailey Bieber of bullying women, successful which helium allegedly wrote to his rep, "this is what we would need."

Abel allegedly responded, "Yes, virtually conscionable spoke to Melissa astir this connected the interruption astir what we discussed past nighttime for societal and digital" and added, "Focus connected reddit, TikTok, IG."

E! has reached retired to Abel and Nathan for remark and has not heard back.

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The documents allege that implicit the adjacent fewer months, the director's PR squad "engaged successful a sophisticated, coordinated, and well-financed retaliation plan" against the actress. The ailment states that they "created, planted, amplified, and boosted contented designed to eviscerate Ms. Lively's credibility," bolster Baldoni's and "suppress immoderate antagonistic contented astir him."

Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has spoken retired successful effect to Lively's ineligible complaint, telling The New York Times successful a statement, "It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would marque specified superior and categorically mendacious accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives.

The director's lawyer said Wayfarer Studios "made the determination to proactively prosecute a situation manager anterior to the selling run of the film" owed to alleged "multiple demands and threats" from Lively, which "included her threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not beforehand the film, yet starring to its demise during release, if her demands were not met."

"What is pointedly missing from the cherry-picked correspondence is the grounds that determination were nary proactive measures taken with media oregon otherwise," helium added, "just interior script readying and backstage correspondence to strategize which is modular operating process with nationalist relations professionals."

Freedman called Lively's allegations "yet different hopeless effort to 'fix' her antagonistic estimation which was garnered from her ain remarks and actions during the run for the film."

Lia Toby/Getty Images

In her ain connection to The New York Times, Lively said, "I anticipation that my ineligible enactment helps propulsion backmost the curtain connected these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm radical who talk up astir misconduct and helps support others who whitethorn beryllium targeted."

Read connected for much astir It Ends With Us...

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What is the property alteration successful It Ends With Us?

For dice hard It Ends with Us fans, this 1 was a arguable change. In the book, Lily is expected to beryllium 23. While nary one’s property successful the movie is explicitly said, it’s understood that the movie jumps up a bit.  

This was evident to fans erstwhile It Ends With Us formed Blake Lively, successful the main role, on with Justin Baldoni—also the film’s director—and Brandon Sklenar, who were each successful their thirties astatine the clip of casting. Still, the writer was connected committee with the shift—especially erstwhile it came to Ryle’s assemblage arsenic a neurosurgeon. 

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What happened to Ellen DeGeneres’ relation successful It Ends With Us

Believe it oregon not, Ellen Degeneres—yes the comedian and erstwhile daytime speech amusement host—plays a immense relation successful the book. In fact, Lily Bloom journals by mode of instrumentality letters to Ellen oregon “The Ellen Diaries”—and that’s however the readers find retired what precisely went down with Lily’s ma and dad, arsenic good arsenic however she meets Atlas.  

While the movie pays subtle tribute to the book’s recurring Ellen theme, featuring a little changeable of Lily’s diary with a leafage opening with, “Dear Ellen” and adjacent a little clip from The Ellen DeGeneres Show successful 1 scene, the comedian isn’t astir arsenic large of a woody successful the film.  

One much missing homage to Ellen? Her celebrated enactment successful Finding Nemo, “Just Keep Swimming,” is thing Lily often repeats to herself during pugnacious moments passim the book—which Atlas besides references during the precise past enactment of the book. Finding Nemo does get a tiny motion arsenic good though, arsenic the film’s poster hangs connected the partition of Lily’s teenage chamber astatine the opening of the film. 

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Did Lily’s eulogy really play retired that way?

In the movie, Lily’s eulogy for her begetter becomes a recurring motif for her narration with him passim the film. The “five things” Lily loves astir her begetter (which are each near blank) are scribbled connected a napkin, which she yet places connected his sedate astatine the extremity of the movie.  

However, the mode it plays retired connected surface isn’t precisely however it happened connected paper. Lily—whose eulogy is mostly absent—doesn’t unreserved retired of the ceremonial similar she’s got to spell determination a-la Gossip Girl’s Serena Van Der Woodsen (although who amended to propulsion that disconnected than Blake). Instead, she stands up there, intentionally silent, for respective minutes earlier she is forcibly removed by a household member. The napkin momento is besides a caller summation to the film. 

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How does It Ends With Us movie represent Atlas’ acquisition giving?

Although they'll larn of his quality to cook, cinema viewers volition miss retired connected Atlas’ tokens of gratitude to Lily. In the book, it seems Atlas’ emotion connection is precise intelligibly acquisition giving arsenic helium gives Lily a Boston keychain for her day arsenic teens—which she holds onto adjacent aft they suffer interaction and later, it causes a combat with Ryle.  

And successful different publication notation to Ellen, aft reconnecting arsenic adults, helium gives her a signed transcript of the comedian’s Seriously…I’m Kidding featuring a connection from the author. In the inscription, Ellen writes, “Lily, Atlas says to support swimming.” 

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What different It Ends With Us publication characters are M.I.A. from the movie?

Ellen wasn’t the lone quality whose screentime got scrapped. Lily’s ma besides plays a overmuch smaller portion successful the movie than she does successful the book. For one, her parent is expected to travel Lily to Boston, and spends rather a spot of clip with her girl successful the novel, whereas successful the movie, she’s lone included successful a fewer scenes.

And though lone successful the publication during 1 scene, Ryle’s mother—who lives successful England—is besides missing from the movie. Other insignificant players successful Lily’s beingness that are not featured successful the movie adaptation see Lily’s roommate Lucy—who moves retired but does extremity up getting a occupation astatine her angiosperm store successful the book’s sequel It Starts With Us—and Lily’s erstwhile colleague, Devin, who attends Allysa’s day enactment with Lily (and temporarily pretends to beryllium her fellow to marque Ryle jealous).

Atlas’ edifice coworkers Brad, Darin and Jimmy—who play poker with Lily successful 1 scene—are besides cut.  

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How does It Ends With Us portray Ryle’s abuse? 

The film’s handling of home unit is simply a large quality from the books, adjacent having scenes play retired otherwise altogether. In the novel, erstwhile Ryle burns his hand, helium doesn’t propulsion Lily down until he’s trying to chill it disconnected nether the sink—whereas successful the movie, it happens close aft helium touches the blistery surface. 

Throughout that country successful the book, Lily is besides expected to beryllium uncontrollably laughing from intoxication (until Ryle turns violent). “Goddammit, Lily,” Ryle tells her successful the book. “It’s not funny. This manus is my f--king career.”

And aft helium pushes Lily down the stairs successful the book, she kicks Ryle retired of the apartment—which leaves him to slumber successful the hallway each night.  

The conversations surrounding maltreatment besides play retired otherwise successful the film. For starters, Ryle doesn’t larn astir Lily’s household past of home unit until aft they’ve been dating a portion successful the movie but successful the book, it happens connected the archetypal nighttime they meet.  

A caller summation to the movie is simply a poignant speech betwixt Lily and her sister-in-law Allyssa (Jenny Slate) aft she finds retired astir Ryle’s abusive behaviour and tells Lily astir Ryle accidentally shooting his member arsenic children. In the book, it’s Ryle who explains to Lily however his member died, and Allyssa ne'er tells Lily she shouldn’t instrumentality Ryle backmost owed to his abusive behavior. 

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Why does Atlas’ edifice get a caller name?

Although it’s a akin sentiment, Atlas’ restaurant, Root,  is really called Bib’s—which stems from Lily and Atlas’ teenage catchphrase “Better successful Boston"—in the book. The insignificant alteration allows the assemblage who has not work the publication to recognize conscionable however overmuch Atlas loves Lily, arsenic Colleen noted. 

“It stood for thing successful the publication that became a large happening for Lily to amusement however overmuch she meant to him,” Colleen explained to E! News of the archetypal edifice name. “So that changed to Root successful the movie due to the fact that we didn't person arsenic overmuch clip to enactment successful each of the things that happened successful the publication to marque that important infinitesimal hap successful the movie.”

Of course, the sanction Root does subordinate to a speech that happens betwixt Lily and Atlas successful the movie, which is thing Lily writes to Ellen about Atlas successful the book. 

“Some things, similar trees, are beardown capable to bash it by conscionable relying connected themselves and cipher else,” Lily explains, noting she could archer Atlas was “resilient—way much than I would ever beryllium if I were successful his situation.”

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How did It Ends With Us represent Lily and Ryle’s wedding? 

Although it is serendipitous, Ryle and Lily get joined successful beforehand of Allysa, her hubby Marshall (Hasan Minhaj) and their parents successful the book. The movie glosses implicit the milestone a spot much quickly, but—unlike the movie—Lily’s ma was determination successful the book, and they apt spent a ton of wealth connected transverse state precocious nighttime flights to Nevada.

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How does Lily’s babe sanction alteration successful It Ends With Us?

In the book, Lily names her and Ryle’s babe Emerson Dory—a motion to some Ryle and Atlas arsenic Emerson is the sanction of Ryle’s precocious member and Dory is simply a motion to her and Atlas’ shared emotion for Ellen DeGeneres.

The movie, however, lone shares “Emerson.” And portion Allysa and Marshall welcoming their archetypal babe does instrumentality spot successful the movie, it makes nary notation of naming her Rylee aft Allyssa’s member Ryle. 

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How did It Ends With Us change Lily’s signature style? 

The characters whitethorn beryllium dressed a small otherwise than what readers had successful mind. In fact, It Ends With Us got immoderate beauteous superior backlash aft photos of the costumes connected acceptable went viral. However, the caller seldom describes covering speech from mostly specified arsenic Ryle’s scrubs oregon Lily’s “baggy sweater.”

As for what Colleen had to accidental astir the backlash? 

 “I don't retrieve describing outfits astatine all,” she told Today. "I don't attraction what they person on. In my head, it's astir the speech they're having and the story. It's the aforesaid mode successful the movie.” 

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