It’s the feud that has everyone in Hollywood talking – actress Blake Lively suing Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director of last year’s hit film It Ends With Us.
She is accusing him of sexual harassment during the making of the movie and of masterminding a global smear campaign against her. He accused her of shutting him out of his own film and of effectively trying to torpedo his career.
Two rich and unfeasibly gorgeous film stars locked in a drama, with the end credits unlikely to roll any time soon.
Now a new Discovery+ documentary takes viewers on a journey through the labyrinthine allegations of the two warring factions, offering an unprecedented peek behind the Hollywood curtain.
‘They were promoting a film,’ says the documentary’s director, Annabelle Draper, ‘so you would think there would be a united front. But instead, everything that happened on set is being exposed. I don’t think we’ve seen anything like that before.’
The documentary features legal experts, commentators and PR crisis management experts debating both sides of the battle, with Justin’s story presented first.
It’s the feud that has everyone in Hollywood talking – actress Blake Lively suing Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director of last year’s hit film It Ends With Us
She is accusing him of sexual harassment during the making of the movie and of masterminding a global smear campaign against her. He accused her of shutting him out of his own film and of effectively trying to torpedo his career
Two rich and unfeasibly gorgeous film stars locked in a drama, with the end credits unlikely to roll any time soon (pictured together in the movie)
A little-known actor whose biggest role to date had been in the comedy drama series Jane The Virgin, he was delighted when in 2019 his production company Wayfarer Studios snapped up the rights to Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel It Ends With Us.
As a self-described male feminist, its themes of domestic abuse resonated with Justin and as Hollywood podcaster Lauren Atkinson remarks in the documentary, ‘This really was his first big movie deal. It was his baby, if you will.’ But it wasn’t long before his baby started having the mother of all tantrums.
Blake was already a bigger name than he was thanks to TV series such as Gossip Girl and her marriage to Hollywood big-hitter Ryan Reynolds, and Justin soon appeared to be intimidated.
In one incident Justin visited her New York penthouse to discuss rewrites of a pivotal scene, only to be met by Blake, her husband and, purportedly, her friend Taylor Swift.
‘These are behemoths,’ notes podcaster Chanler Bledsoe in the documentary. ‘Justin knew their presence was meant to intimidate him into using her rewrites.’
And then in November 2023, after just 16 days of filming, Blake threatened to leave the production unless Justin agreed to a set of conditions, including that there shouldn’t be any sexually explicit talk or showing of nude videos on set. Peter Tragos, a legal analyst, remarks in the documentary that, ‘the difficulty for Justin Baldoni when he sees this list of demands is, “I agree with all of them.
That’s exactly how a set should be run. That’s exactly how our set is being run.” But they’re couched in accusations.’
He means the document’s tone suggested sexually inappropriate conduct had already taken place during filming. Though Justin did sign the document, he later said he disagreed with its underlying insinuations.
Now a new Discovery+ documentary takes viewers on a journey through the labyrinthine allegations of the two warring factions (pictured in the movie)
In one incident Justin visited her New York penthouse to discuss rewrites of a pivotal scene, only to be met by Blake, her husband and, purportedly, her friend Taylor Swift (Blake and husband Ryan Reynolds pictured)
Blake (R) and pal Taylor Swift (L) pictured 2024
Further problems arose when Blake (also a producer on the film) asked to bring in her own editors. ‘Justin would have felt walked all over,’ says filmmaker Christel Cornilsen. ‘She certainly wouldn’t do that to another A-list director.’
By May 2024 there were two separate edits of the movie and although Justin’s scored higher with preview audiences, Blake allegedly threatened to ‘not participate in marketing the film if they didn’t use her cut’, explains Chanler. Despite mixed reviews the movie was a box- office success, grossing over $350 million worldwide.
Blake eventually filed a lawsuit last December accusing Justin of sexual harassment on the set of the film, and less than a month later Justin filed a $400 million ($300 million) countersuit against both Blake and her husband. Despite its dismissal recently, Justin maintains she wrested control of the film from him and manufactured claims of sexual harassment to conceal her actions.
‘Ultimately,’ says Annabelle, ‘the case will be about proving Blake’s allegations and some of them are kind of grey. This is still a “he said, she said”.’
The documentary’s second half tells Blake’s side of the story. Her allegations are far more serious and include claims her co-star improvised unwanted kisses during filming, spoke frequently of a previous pornography addiction and wanted Blake to be naked during the film’s birthing scene.
But perhaps the most damning accusation is that Justin’s team was responsible for a coordinated media attack against Blake amid the film’s 2024 release
But perhaps the most damning accusation is that Justin’s team was responsible for a coordinated media attack against Blake amid the film’s 2024 release.
Her team alleges his publicists conspired to create a global smear campaign against her by generating negative stories through social media, ‘so they could get picked up by mainstream news outlets and reported,’ explains Daily Mail journalist Daniel Bates in the show.
The trial for Blake’s complaint is set for next March, and the whole saga ‘has been very exposing’, says Annabelle. ‘Neither side are backing down. Let’s remember, a lot of this is talking about life on set and they’re both being made out to be absolute nightmares. How will their future employers view it all?’
Lively Vs Baldoni: The Hollywood Feud is available on Discovery+.
