Hollywood stars, including America Ferrera, support the actress after the lawsuit filed by Baldini

Hollywood stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel have publicly supported American actress Blake Lively after she filed a legal complaint against It Ends With Us star Justin Baldoni.

Lively filed a legal complaint over the weekend against Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.

Baldoni's legal team told the BBC on Saturday that the allegations were “completely false”.

Ferrera, Tamblyn and Bledel, who starred with Lively in the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, issued a joint statement. On Instagram Saying on Sunday that they “stand with her in solidarity.”

Colleen Hoover, author of It Ends With Us, also showed her support, calling Lively “honest, kind, supportive and patient.”

Lively's lawyers say the legal complaint follows a meeting held earlier this year to discuss “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior” by Baldoni, her co-star and the film's producer.

“As Blake’s friends and sisters for more than 20 years, we stand in solidarity with her as she fights back against the campaign being waged to destroy her reputation,” Ferreira, Tamblyn and Bledel said in their statement.

“Throughout filming It Ends With Us, we saw her muster the courage to demand a safe workplace for herself and her colleagues on set, and we are horrified to read evidence of a deliberate and retaliatory effort that followed to discredit her voice.”

They added: “What is most disturbing is the shameless exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who sought safety. This hypocrisy is astonishing.”

“We are struck by the fact that even if women are as strong, celebrated, and resourceful as our friend Blake, they can face strong retaliation for daring to demand a safe work environment,” the statement added.

“We are inspired by our sister’s courage in standing up for herself and others.”

Baldoni's lawyers said they appointed a crisis manager because Lively threatened to derail the film unless her demands were met.

In the drama “It Ends with Us,” Ms. Lively plays a woman who finds herself in a relationship with her charming but abusive boyfriend, played by Mr. Baldoni.

In a post on her Instagram Stories, Colleen Hoover, author of the novel on which the film was based, also expressed her support: “@BlakeLively has been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.

“Thank you for being the person you are.

“Never change. Never fade.”

She then linked to a New York Times article titled We Can Bury Anyone: Inside the Hollywood Smear Machine.

Hoover also republished the statement From Ferrara, Bledel and Tamblyn, adding: “This statement from these women and Blake's ability to refuse to sit and be 'buried' was nothing short of inspiring.”

The meeting between Ms. Lively and Mr. Baldoni, along with others involved in the film's production as well as the actress Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds, took place on January 4, 2024, and was intended to address the “hostile work environment” on set, according to Ms. Lively. Legal deposit.

Mr. Baldoni attended the meeting in his capacity as co-chairman and co-founder of the company that produced the film, Wayfarer Studios. He was also the film's director.

In the legal complaint, Lively's lawyers allege that Baldoni and Wayfarer CEO Jimmy Heath engaged in “inappropriate and unwelcome conduct toward Ms. Lively and others on the set of It Ends With Us.”

In the filing with the California Department of Civil Rights, a list of 30 demands related to the couple's alleged misconduct was presented at the meeting to ensure they could continue production of the film.

Among them, Ms. Lively requested that Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath not mention further “pornography addictions” to Ms. Lively or other crew members, that they not provide further descriptions of their genitals to Ms. Lively, and that “they not add more sex.” “Scenes, oral sex, or climax on camera by BL (Blake Lively) are outside the scope of the script agreed to by BL when signing on to the project,” the complaint says.

Ms. Lively also demanded that Mr. Baldoni stop saying he could talk to her deceased father.

Ms. Lively's legal team also accuses Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of leading a “multi-level plan” to destroy her reputation.

She claims this was “the intended result of a carefully crafted, coordinated and resourced retaliation scheme to silence her and others from speaking out about the hostile environment created by Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath.”

In response to the legal complaint, Baldoni's attorney, Brian Friedman, said on Saturday: “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives.”

Mr. Friedman accused Ms. Lively of making numerous demands and threats, including “threatening not to show up on set, and threatening not to promote the film,” which could ultimately lead to “its demise during release, if her demands are not met.” .

He claimed Ms Lively's claims were “deliberately lewd with the intent to publicly harm and reshape the narrative in the media”.

In a statement through her lawyer to the BBC, Ms Lively said: “I hope my legal action will help lift the curtain on these evil retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak out about misconduct, and help protect others who may be targeted.”

She also denied that she or any of her representatives planted or disseminated negative information about Mr. Baldoni or Wayfarer.

The film was a box office success, although some critics said it romanticized domestic violence.