5 Details We Learned From Justin Baldoni’s Private Text to Blake Lively and “It Ends With Us” Crew

Hollywood often takes inspiration from real life, but rarely do we see on-screen drama transcending to reality. In one of those bizarre cases of “life imitates art”, the main cast of It Ends With Us is embroiled in a brutal legal battle. Justin Baldoni, who also directed the movie, decided to take a stance against his co-star, Blake Lively, when she sued him for alleged inappropriate behavior while filming on the set.

Justin Baldoni in It Ends with Us | Credits: Columbia Pictures

Baldoni’s counter-case has brought out a lot of hidden innuendos that were purposely left under the shadows in the highly publicized case. A lot of these are in the form of a whirlwind of text messages that swept up Baldoni, Lively, the editors of the film, as well as the PRs, leaving a swathe of startling revelations in its wake.

As the duo prepares to lock horns, there might be more to the Baldoni-Lively saga than it seems. Just like Deadpool perfectly encapsulates, “Life is an endless series of trainwrecks with only brief commercial-like breaks of happiness”, the ongoing lawsuits might be heading toward a massive trainwreck, one that might derail the career of one of the parties involved. 

1 Blake Lively allegedly invited Justin Baldoni to her trailer while breastfeeding

The entire fiasco behind It Ends with Us has been viewed and reviewed by fans and paparazzi alike through varied lenses, and each bombshell revelation adds a whole new dimension. Earlier, when Blake Lively fired shots at Justin Baldoni, complaining about being s*xually harassed on set, several screenshots of her text (via InTouchWeekly) with Baldoni were presented as evidence. One of them concerns Lively’s issues with Baldoni’s uninvited presence in her trailer while she was pumping milk.

The reaction of the fans was quite obvious, as Baldoni was slammed on social media for invading Lively’s private space. However, the situation now seems just like a printed coin, with two very different faces.

A screenshot of Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s alleged chat | Credits: Wayfarer Studios v. New York Times

After the Green Lantern actress’ complaint, the actor/director slammed a $250 million lawsuit at the New York Times for allegedly blowing the news out of proportion and pushing biased narratives by editing out texts in favor of her. Baldoni submitted screenshots of his own (via Stylecaster), which show that it was Ryan Reynolds’ wife who invited him to her trailer while she was pumping. Baldoni also claimed that it was “an activity she often conducted openly” —sometimes even during production meetings.

2 Justin Baldoni was not “objectifying” Blake Lively as “sexy”

As if the breast-pumping scandal wasn’t enough to drag Justin Baldoni’s name through the mud, Blake Lively’s complaint also accused him of objectifying the actress and her character as “sexy” (via InTouchWeekly). The evidence presented by her team seemingly painted the Jane the Virgin actor as a perv, but as it stands right now, there’s more to this accusation as well.

Baldoni and Lively discussing Lively’s character’s looks| Credits: Wayfarer Studios v. New York Times

One specific screenshot of their text messages, provided by Baldoni’s team, allegedly shows that the sexiness was part of both actors’ input. The texts reportedly show that Lively wrote, “Will show you both ways but beanie is much s*xier”. This gave the Baldoni camp firmer ground to claim whatever the director said in response wasn’t about objectifying the actress as “s*xy” but rather engaging in the creative process of the film itself.

3 Blake Lively allegedly refused to meet intimacy coordinators beforehand

Romance is incomplete without that loving, passionate touch, and It Ends with Us has quite a few of those scenes. But those goosebumps-inducing steamy moments are also some of the hardest to film for the actors. Thanks to intimacy coordinators, these shots feel closer to life, instead of lifeless belly rubs. It Ends with Us too employed the help of Chelsea Cary and Lizzy Talbot, two of the best ICs in the industry. But Blake Lively, seemingly, wasn’t ready to meet them before filming the scenes.

Justin Baldoni talking to an unknown female producer | Credits: Wayfarer Studios v. New York Times

As enjoyable as they might seem on-screen, intimate scenes can get awkward really fast, resulting in a few minutes of wasted screen time and cringefest. It makes sense to seek professional help and clear out the nitty-gritty beforehand to avoid such mishaps on camera. One such screenshot submitted by Justin Baldoni in his case alleges that Lively didn’t feel like meeting the coordinators early on, which the former also brought to the attention of a female producer.

The lack of direction left Baldoni and Lively to fend for themselves, something that the Gossip Girl star also regretted later on. Guess some lessons can only be learned by experience!

4 Blake Lively took creative control, sidelining Justin Baldoni

What began as a tiny bushfire swirled into a massive firestorm when Blake Lively allegedly marginalized Justin Baldoni in his own film. A series of chats between Baldoni, the film’s editor, and Jen Abel, Baldoni’s publicist, provide a closer glimpse at how step-by-step Lively allegedly managed to get the movie’s production under her foot.

Justin Baldoni talking with the editors| Credits: Wayfarer Studios v. New York Times

Showcasing the images as evidence, Baldoni and his team have alleged that Lively took control of the film’s creative direction, leaving Baldoni feeling sidelined and excluded from the whole process. The claims also go into detail on how Lively’s dominance over the narrative caused significant distress for Baldoni.

Justin Baldoni talking to his PR| Credits: Wayfarer Studios v. New York Times

In some of the alleged texts, Baldoni’s PR team is seen offering him support and encouragement, trying to keep his spirits up while Lively was busy taking over the project’s creative aspects. The situation has reportedly led to tensions between the two, with Baldoni’s team feeling that his contributions were being overshadowed by Lively’s assertive approach to the film’s direction.

By the time the film was ready for the premiere, viewers got to see what was allegedly a ‘Blake Lively cut’, as per Baldoni’s claims. No feedback from the director or the editors was seemingly taken into consideration, but Lively did assure them, as the chat reads, she put “back a fair amount” of the original material in the final cut.

5 Even after all the drama, Justin Baldoni had no hard feelings for Blake Lively

A film of any proportion commands a significant amount of soil and toil from the cast and the crew. Movies are art, and if you ask any artist, they will tell you they leave a piece of their soul in their creation. One can only imagine the kind of crushing agony Justin Baldoni had to suffer through after allegedly becoming a mute silhouette on his own set? However, the Unrequited star’s reaction to the whole fiasco is the real kicker here, enough to make your head shake from side to side in disbelief.

Justin Baldoni chatting with his PR team| Credits: Wayfarer Studios v. New York Times

Among the series of snapshots of Baldoni’s chats with the film’s crew and PR lays proof of chivalry still existing in this world, if it is real. In one of the chats with PR, the actor apparently wishes Lively well, trying to make it clear that he has “only said nice things about her and never spoke disparagingly of the cast”, and there was no feud from his side (until the lawsuit was filed, of course).

Baldoni can also be seen focusing on his upcoming film instead, wondering about the best time to drop the announcement. But looking at the current scenario, he might have to hold off for a couple more months and wait for the dust to settle.

Blake Lively’s representatives are yet to reply to these claims, and the documents and the chats sourced by both sides are yet to be verified. For now, we can only wait and watch as arrows fly over both camps. Which one of them will hit the bullseye remains to be seen!

It Ends with Us is currently streaming on Netflix.