The messy saga between It Ends With Us co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is dealing with one more twist, this time within the type of a voice message Baldoni apparently despatched to Lively amid the movie’s manufacturing the place he might be heard apologizing to his on-screen associate.
In a virtually seven-minute voice memo first revealed by TMZ on Monday, Baldoni, who additionally served as director for the film, might be heard talking about script modifications that Lively, one of many movie’s producers, had offered.
“Hey Blake, it’s two in the morning. Hopefully this does not wake you up. There is so much I want to say to you,” Baldoni started the message, which TMZ obtained in its entirety.
“I want to start with an apology,” he continued. “Man, studying the second a part of your message, my coronary heart sank. I’m actually sorry. I for certain fell quick and also you labored actually exhausting on that. The manner you framed it and the way it made you are feeling, I simply needed to say thanks for sharing that with me.
“I feel really grateful that you feel safe enough to tell me that that’s how you feel and share that with me. And I’m really sorry. I f–ked up. That is a fail on my part.
“I am far from perfect. I’m a very flawed man, as my wife will attest …. but I will always apologize and then find my way back to centre. That is one thing I can assure you of. And I’m sorry I made you feel that way, that must have felt terrible.”
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are seen on the set of ‘It Ends With Us’ on Jan. 12, 2024 in Jersey City, N.J.
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Global News has not independently verified the recording’s authenticity, nor when it was recorded or despatched. Global News has additionally reached out to each Lively and Baldoni’s representatives for remark and for a replica of the audio.
In the recording, Baldoni additionally discusses the now-infamous assembly between the pair, after they met to speak concerning the film’s rooftop scene. Lively had rewritten the scene with the encouragement of her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and good friend Taylor Swift, and Baldoni might be heard seemingly acknowledging their enter.
“Damn right, you’ve got great friends. F–K, we should all have friends like that, aside from the fact that they’re two of the most creative people on the planet,” he stated, earlier than including, “The three of you guys together is unbelievable. Talk about energy. Just a force, all three of you.”
Get day by day National information
Get the day’s high information, political, financial, and present affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox as soon as a day.
He additionally instructed Lively that he preferred her script modifications, calling them “really good.”
“I’m excited to go through the whole movie with you,” he stated, laughing often. “I’m just excited to spend time with you. I’m excited to be in your sphere and your presence and for us to share creative juices together although that sounds terrible.”
While their authorized feud has been ongoing since December 2024, when Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation first in a criticism after which in a lawsuit a few week later, Baldoni claimed in a January court docket submitting that he felt pressured by Reynolds and Lively’s “megacelebrity friend” to approve the scene revisions after a gathering at Lively and Reynolds’ dwelling.
Baldoni sued earlier this month, accusing Lively and her husband of defamation and extortion and looking for at the very least US$400 million in damages.
Last week, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, launched a 10-minute video that included one scene the place the actors’ characters Lily Bloom (Lively) and Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) are gradual dancing. (The scene was referenced in Lively’s lawsuit towards her co-star, accusing him of “behaving inappropriately” and claiming he “ignored well-established industry protocols in filming intimate scenes.”)
The footage exhibits Baldoni, 40, and Lively, 37, filming a scene with no dialogue, talking about their spouses and joking about his nostril and her spray tan.
In an announcement following the discharge of the footage, Lively’s crew says that “every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter,” what Lively included in her lawsuit, filed on Dec. 20, 2024, concerning the particular scene.
“Justin Baldoni and his lawyer may hope that this latest stunt will get ahead of the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning,” Lively’s authorized crew stated of their assertion.
“The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character. Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present.”
They additionally point out that Baldoni was ready of energy because the movie’s director and Lively’s boss.
“The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort,” her authorized crew stated. “They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching.
“No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent,” her legal professionals stated. “This matter is in active litigation in federal court. Releasing this video to the media, rather than presenting it as evidence in court, is another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public. It is also a continuation of their harassment and retaliatory campaign.”
On Monday, New York federal choose Lewis J. Liman set a March 9, 2026 trial date and moved an preliminary convention from mid-February to subsequent week as the general public feud between Lively and Baldoni continues to develop. He instructed legal professionals to be ready to deal with complaints about pretrial publicity and lawyer conduct.
Liman took the actions after Lively’s legal professionals claimed in a submitting on Monday {that a} lawyer for Baldoni was making an attempt to taint potential jurors over lawsuits the actors have filed towards one another.
The legal professionals stated Baldoni’s lawyer was making an attempt to wreck Lively’s profession and switch potential New York jurors towards her by creating an internet site to launch chosen paperwork and communications between Lively and Baldoni.
On a brand new and separate entrance within the collection of authorized battles, Lively filed a request for a deposition of a person she says was central to turning on-line sentiment towards her in the course of the movie’s launch and promotion.
It Ends With Us, primarily based on the bestselling 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover, was launched in August 2024 and exceeded field workplace expectations with a $50-million debut. It begins as a regular romantic drama earlier than taking a darkish flip into home violence. The fallout in its aftermath has made main waves in Hollywood and led to discussions of the remedy of feminine actors each on units and in media.
— With recordsdata from The Associated Press
