Justin Baldoni’s lawyer says newly released video footage ‘refutes’ Blake Lively’s claims of on-set harassment

Justin Baldoni’s legal team on Tuesday released footage from the set of “It Ends With Us,” the film at the center of his ongoing legal battle with co-star Blake Lively, that they say supports his claim that he acted with “respect and professionalism” toward the former “Gossip Girl” star, who has accused him of sexual harassment.

Justin Baldoni’s legal team on Tuesday released footage from the set of “It Ends With Us,” the film at the center of his ongoing legal battle with co-star Blake Lively, that they say supports his claim that he acted with “respect and professionalism” toward the former “Gossip Girl” star, who has accused him of sexual harassment. The video released is nearly 10 minutes of footage during which Lively and Baldoni are seen filming for a slow dance montage that is referenced in both Lively’s initial complaint with the California Civil Rights Department and a later lawsuit, in which she cited specific instances of what she characterized as inappropriate behavior by Baldoni. Lively claimed in her December 31 sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni that he “leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, ‘it smells so good,’” a comment the complaint described as not “remotely in character, or based on any dialogue in the script.” Her suit alleged that during the filming of the montage, “nothing needed to be said because, again, there was no sound” and that Baldoni was “caressing Ms. Lively with his mouth in a way that had nothing to do with their roles.” “The following videos captured on May 23, 2023 clearly refute Ms. Lively’s characterization of his behavior,” a statement that precedes the footage provided by Baldoni’s lawyer this week said. “The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another. Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism.” In the video, Lively and Baldoni are seen slow dancing on a busy set with extras surrounding them. They can be heard speaking to each other about how to portray the intimate parts of the scene, with Lively telling Baldoni she thinks it’s more “romantic” for them to appear to be talking instead of kissing.