A new chapter has been added to the divisive legal battle between actor/director Justin Baldoni and actress Blake Lively in Hollywood.
In the latest act in the saga related to the now-famous feature film “It Ends With Us,” Baldoni alleges that his colleague relied on powerful people close to her to further assert her control over the film’s final cut.
Among the influential figures cited by the director are Taylor Swift, one of Lively’s best friends, and Ryan Reynolds, the 37-year-old’s husband. The lawsuit alleges that Reynolds and Swift strongly supported a version of a scene in the film written by Lively. Swift’s last name does not actually appear in the document, other than in a message referring to “Taylor.”
Late last month, Lively sued Baldoni, alleging that the man had harassed her on set and launched a campaign to ruin her reputation. A lawyer for the director called the allegations “completely false and outrageous.”
“This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender,” Lively’s legal team said in a statement. On the day she filed her lawsuit, Baldoni sued the New York Times, accusing it of defamation for only reporting Lively’s version of the events.
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Baldoni subsequently filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist. He also recounted how his colleague had asked him on several occasions to be allowed to rewrite the scripts of some of the highlights of “It Ends With Us,” including the now well-known “rooftop scene,” which marks the first meeting between the two leads.
Baldoni finally explained that he was pressured by Reynolds and a fellow “mega-famous” friend, namely Taylor Swift, to approve Lively’s script at a meeting in New York. Shortly thereafter, Baldoni wrote to Lively, telling her that there was no need to involve her husband and the world’s most influential pop star on matters concerning the film.
The actresses’ response was not long in coming. In a message sent to the director, she allegedly compared herself to the character Khaleesi from “Game of Thrones,” explaining: “Like her, I happen to have a few dragons. For better or worse, but usually for better. 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.”
