For a month now, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been embroiled in a legal battle over various claims, including sexual harassment, extortion, and defamation.
Earlier this week, Baldoni's team released unedited footage from the set of “It Ends with Us.”
Video shared by Baldoni's attorney, Brian Friedman, It is said to have been acquired by Fox News Digital.
In a Dec. 20 sexual harassment filing obtained by Fox News Digital, Baldoni “leaned forward and slowly dragged her neck from her ear to her neck. Sheen.”
Blake Lively's 'It Ends With Us' co-stars Brandon Skillenor, Jenny Slate 'praise her courage amid lawsuit'
Justin Baldoni's body language in unedited scenes is 'nervous' but it's hard to detect malice, says Blake Lively, experts say. (Getty Images)
but, Baldoni argued The comments were made regarding Livelies' own admission about her spray tan.
In an unedited video of the scene, Baldoni snuggles into Lively's neck and jokingly asks, “Are you wearing a beard today?” She laughed and said, “I'm probably giving you a spray tan.”
Afterwards, Baldoni remarked, “That smells good.”
“The following video, captured on May 23, 2023, unequivocally refutes Mr. Riley’s characterization of his actions,” said a statement shared at the beginning of the video. “The scene in question is designed to show that the two characters are in love and longing to grow closer to each other. Both actors, within the confines of the scene, demonstrate mutual respect and professionalism. He's clearly behaving.
“These are all three takes of the sequence filmed.”
Lively's legal team claims the unedited video is “damning evidence” and “corroborates” the sexual harassment allegations.
On January 21, Baldoni's team released unedited footage from the set of “It Ends with Us” purporting to refute live accusations of sexual harassment. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC image)
Intimacy Coordinator Brenda King, who was not involved in the film, said, “Intimacy is such a story in itself, and the way we interact with each other in intimacy is the way people and their It tells you a lot about your relationship with the other person.
In this particular scene, King broke down how he handled the situation.
“I would have liked to have brought Blake out of this scene. You don't want to kiss.”
“Her shoulders look really high. They're tense,” King said. “I said, 'Hey, what do you think about her ideas about speaking and being more intimate? Do you think there's a way to create intimacy through your voice?' If you feel pleasure, find other ways to feel intimate.
“It seems like she's trying really hard to get rid of the scene or de-skin it,” she added. “And that’s unfortunate.
Lively's team bounced back, claiming the unedited video was “damning evidence” and “corroborates” the sexual harassment allegations. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images)
“Her shoulders look really high. They're tense.”
“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 with her body. … There's a mismatch that they have, and in addition to the difference that they're trying to achieve or avoid this intimate moment. It looks like they have some creative differences.”
Film expert and producer Scott Ham Duenas said that while it was clear that the scene was animated, he questioned whether Baldoni's actions crossed the line of sexual harassment.
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“She 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.' When you're doing it, you know what you're signing up for, and it's all about communication. ”
Watch: Justin Baldoni releases unedited 'It Ends With Us' footage featuring Blake Lively
Justin Baldoni sued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for defamation. (David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
“They should especially know what level they are turned on before they start,” he added. “They already need to work this out before the cameras roll. So we know what we're doing.
Psychotherapist and human behaviorist Robi Ludwig agreed.
“For me, my vibe was that he was trying to get the best moment for his character, and if she felt uncomfortable, that could be true too. “That doesn't mean they're actually being harassed,” Ludwig explained.
“You can feel uncomfortable, but it's weird to act like you know reality is imitating art.” Two. They seem like his style and her style, not what I saw.
Michelle English, a licensed clinical social worker, told Fox News Digital that it's difficult to detect malicious behavior without knowing what the conversation was before and after the scene.
Blake Lively has requested that a gag order be issued against Justin Baldoni's legal team in his ongoing legal battle. (Getty Images)
“With only the parameters of this clip and no additional information to navigate the surrounding context and off-camera conflicts, it's very difficult to determine whether it's malicious or not,” English said on Fox News Digital told.
“From the video alone, it is difficult to determine whether Blake is visibly uncomfortable,” she added. “When an actor is focused on executing a scene, body language associated with discomfort, such as crossing arms or creating additional space, can be influenced by subtle indicators such as tone of voice or microexpressions of tension. Although these can indicate anxiety, it is also not always clear that the discomfort she experienced was internal and may not have been visible at the time.
“For me, my vibe was that he was trying to get the best moment for his character, and if she felt uncomfortable, that could be true too. Someone felt uncomfortable. That doesn't mean they're actually being harassed.”
Before releasing the unedited footage, Baldoni submitted a $400 million lawsuit Vivienne and husband Ryan Reynolds accused them of extortion and defamation of the public.
In the lawsuit, Baldoni claims that Vibrant “refused to meet with the intimacy coordinator” beyond the intimate scenes.
This put Baldoni in the “awkward position of meeting alone with the intimacy coordinator, and later conveying suggestions for sex scenes and plans to come alive in the intimacy coordinator's absence,” the suit states. “These meetings often took place at the couple's home, at Lively's insistence, and were often attended by Lively's husband. Lively's working methods were unconventional and uncomfortable for Baldoni. Baldoni created this scenario. It is deliberately false to suggest that someone who did.
“As a result, many of the sex scenes were not written with simultaneous collaboration and input from both Vivid and Intimate Coordinators, as Baldoni had long intended.”
Baldoni claims that Lively refused to meet with the intimacy coordinator. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC image)
In her lawsuit filed in December Active and detailed allegations of sexual harassmentretaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligence, were made by film producer Jamie Heath in a complaint first filed with California's Civil Rights Division and later in federal court.
As for the unedited video, Lively's legal team claimed it was “damning evidence” and “corroborated” the sexual harassment allegations.
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“Justin Baldoni and his lawyers may be hoping this latest stunt will outweigh the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning. Every frame of the footage released Her complaint is backed up by a letter, Lively's Legal Team said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly cuddling lively, trying to kiss her on the forehead, kissing her on the forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking his lips with his thumb, making love to her and telling her how good she smells. Tell her what you want, and then have a characterless talk with her.
“Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni, with no prior discussion or consent, and no intimacy coordinator present. Mr. Baldoni is not only Mr. Lively's co-star; He was the head of the director's studio and Mr. Lively's boss.
“The video shows Ms. Lively running away and the character repeatedly asking to just talk. A woman who is inappropriately touched at work recognizes Ms. Lively's discomfort. .
Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.
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