over the course of a month, blake bio Justin Baldoni has been tangled in a legal battle over various claims of sexual harassment, blackmail, defamation, and more.
Earlier this week, Baldoni's team Unedited footage released From the set of “It's Ending With Us,” he claims to refute Lively's previous accusations of sexual harassment.
The video, shared by Baldoni's attorney, Brian Friedman, It was obtained by Fox News Digital, purporting to address the actress's claims about a slow dance scene.
On December 20th Sexual harassment filing Obtained by Fox News Digital, Baldoni slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, “It smells so good,” while filming a slow-motion dance montage scene.
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Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni's body language in the unedited scene is 'tense' but it's hard for experts to detect, experts say. (Getty Images)
but, Baldoni insisted The comment was made regarding Lively's own admission about her spray.
In the video of the unedited scene, Baldoni nuzzled Lively's neck and jokingly asked, “Do I get a beard on you today?” “I should probably get a spray tan on you,” she laughed.
Baldoni then stated, “It smells good,” to which Lively responded, “Well, it's not. It's my body makeup.”
“The following videos, taken on May 23, 2023, clearly refute Ms. Lively’s description of his behavior,” a joint statement said at the beginning of the video. “The scene in question was designed to show two people falling in love and longing to be close to each other. It is clear that both actors act well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism.
“These are all three takes filming the sequence.”
Lively's legal team claimed that the unedited video is “damning evidence” and “corroborates” her allegations of sexual harassment.
On January 21, Baldoni's team released unedited footage from the set of “It Ends with Us” that he claims refutes vital accusations of sexual harassment. (Photo by Jose Perez/Power-Given/GC)
Brenda KingAn intimacy coordinator who was not involved in the film said, “Intimacy is a story on its own, and the way we interact with each other in intimacy tells you a lot about a person and their relationship with another.”
In this particular scene, King broke down how she would have handled the situation.
“I wanted to pull Blake out of that scene and I was like, 'Hey, I see you're not in this scene.' I notice you're deviating, you're talking about how to talk. You don't want to be kissed.
“It looks like her shoulders are really high. She's nervous,” King said. “I would say something like, 'Hey, how do you feel about her ideas about talking and being more intimate, and do you think there's a way to create intimacy through your voice?' And do you think we can clear some distance between your heads?
She added, “It seems that she is trying hard to remove or isolate the scene.” “It's unfortunate.
Lively's team fired back, claiming the unedited video is “inspirational evidence” and “corroborates” her allegations of sexual harassment. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images)
“Her shoulders seem really high. She's nervous.”
“At the same time, I would say, I don't see him doing anything wrong,” she continued. “He's definitely not aware of what's going on in her body… …there's a mismatch where they're both at, they seem to have creative differences on top of differences in how they try to achieve or avoid that intimate moment.”
Film expert, actor and actor Scott Hamm Duenas said that although he was clearly “uncomfortable” in the scene, he questioned whether Baldoni's actions crossed the line of sexual harassment.
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“It definitely feels uncomfortable,” Ham Duenas told Fox News Digital. “Now does that cross over into sexual harassment to make her uncomfortable? Especially when you can say, ‘Hey, I'm an actor.’ You know what you're signing up for when you do that, but there's a line.”
WATCH: Justin Baldoni releases unedited footage of 'It's Ending With Us' featuring Blake Lively
Justine Baldoni has sued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for defamation. (David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
“They should know before they start, especially the level at which they are doing,” he added. “They have to have their work already done before the camera rolls. So, we know what we're doing, we know what she's comfortable with, what he's comfortable with, and there are no surprises.”
Psychotherapist and human behaviorist Robbie Ludwig agreed.
“For me, the reactions were that he was trying to get the best moment for his character, and if it felt uncomfortable, it might as well be true. Just because someone feels uncomfortable doesn't mean they're actually being harassed.” Explain.
“You can feel uncomfortable, but it's a weird thing about acting because it's like you knew reality was imitating art. Two of them are in the movie. It's uncomfortable and offensive, and maybe some people, then they feel like this is how they were treated in real life.” ?
Michelle English, a licensed clinical social worker, told Fox News Digital detecting harmful behavior without knowing what the conversation was before and after the scene.
Blake Lively has asked for a gag order against Justin Baldoni's legal team during their ongoing court battle. (Getty Images)
“Within the parameters of this clip alone, without the surrounding context and additional information to navigate potential off-camera conflicts, it is very difficult to know if there is any malice going on,” English told Fox News Digital.
“From the video alone, it's hard to determine if Blake is visibly uncomfortable,” she added. “Body language associated with discomfort — such as turning away, crossing arms, or creating extra space — may not occur if the actor is focused on performing the scene. It's not always clear.
“For me, the reactions were that he was trying to get the best moment for his character, and if it felt uncomfortable, it might as well be true. Just because someone feels uncomfortable doesn't mean they're actually being harassed.”
Before releasing the unedited footage, Baldoni introduced A $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of civil racketeering and defamation.
In the lawsuit, Baldoni claimed she “refused to meet with the intimacy coordinator” to go over intimate scenes.
This puts Baldoni in the “awkward position of meeting alone with the intimacy coordinator and later conveying sex scene suggestions and plans for an affair in the absence of the intimacy coordinator.” “These meetings often took place, at Lively's insistence, at the couple's home, and Lively's husband was often present. Lively's modus operandi was unorthodox and uncomfortable for Baldoni. To suggest that Baldoni was the person who created this scenario is incorrect.”
“As a result, many of the sex scenes were not written with simultaneous collaboration and input from both the biopic and the intimacy coordinator, as Baldoni had long intended.”
Baldoni claims a vital refusal to meet with an intimacy coordinator. (Photo by Jose Perez/Power-Given/GC)
In her suit, presented in December, Vivid, detailed allegations of sexual harassmentretaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, neglect and more by Baldoni and film producer, Jimmy Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Department of Civil Rights and later in federal court.
Regarding the unedited video, Lively's legal team claimed it was “inspiring evidence” and “supports” her allegations of sexual harassment.
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“Justin Baldoni and his lawyers may be hoping this latest stunt will advance the devastating evidence against him, but the video itself is damning. Every frame of footage released is corroborative, to the letter, of what Ms. Lively described in paragraph 48 of the video,” Lively’s team said in a statement provided to Fox. News Digital.
“The video shows Mr. Baldawni repeatedly leaning towards Ms. Lively, trying to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth on her neck, lifting her lip with his thumb, supporting her, telling her how she smells, and speaking to her out of character.
“Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldooni without any discussion or approval in advance and no intimate coordinator.
“The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and telling the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been touched inappropriately in the workplace will recognize it. No woman should take defensive measures to avoid being touched by her employer without their consent.”
Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.
