One of the biggest surprises of 2024 is the success of the romantic drama film, “It Ends with Us,” based on the novel by Colleen Hoover. The film, which only cost a reported $25 million to produce, earned $351 million worldwide. That’s an incredible sum for a film of that budget. And considering there are sequel books already written, you would assume the studio would be rushing out to make a new film. But nothing is happening. Why? Well, because of the feud between the two stars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Things have gotten so bad, Lively has recently filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her co-star.
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According to Deadline, Blake Lively has filed a sexual harassment suit against actor-filmmaker Justin Baldoni regarding her time in production on “It Ends with Us.” There is a lot of details in the filing, which all sound horrifying, but some of the issues presented include Baldoni (who is also the director of the film) allegedly discussing Lively’s weight with her trainer, pressured her to disclose her religious beliefs, and talked about his sex life in inappropriate ways. Again, there are a ton more details in the actual suit. She also is claiming that Baldoni hired a PR firm to launch a smear campaign after the film was released.
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“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,” Lively said.
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The immediate aftermath of the lawsuit has seen people come to support Lively. Baldoni’s agency, WME, has dumped the actor-filmmaker. (It also represents Lively.) Some of the actress’ famous friends have spoken out publicly. And even Amber Heard has come out to support Lively. Even Colleen Hoover, the author behind the book, has voiced support.
It’s obviously unclear how this whole situation will play out. As of now, the overwhelming support seems to be backing Lively. But we’ll have to see how this plays out in court, if it reaches that far.
