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Justin Baldoni accused Blake Lively of “manipulative behavior” as he detailed her alleged efforts to take over wardrobe choices on It Ends With Us, which he said led to issues with Sony, In Touch can report.
In court documents, obtained by In Touch, Justin, 40, described the drama that started on the first day of principal production, May 15, 2023.
Blake, 37, played the lead role of Lily Bloom in the film based on the book by author Colleen Hoover. The director claimed Blake “began to assert control over aspects of the film beyond her role as an actor and outside the scope of her contractual entitlements.”
Justin explained that while lead actors are “sometimes granted approval” over the general “look” of their on screen character, this authority “typically does not include full control over wardrobe decisions without input from the director and producers.”
“Nevertheless, [Blake] overstepped these boundaries, sidelining the production’s costume designer — a seasoned professional with a longstanding working relationship with [Blake].”
In his filing, Justin said that Blake ignored the director’s vision for her character and disregarded the weeks spent by the entire team “shopping and thoughtfully crafting her wardrobe in preparation for filming.”
Justin claimed Blake would “send hundreds of” photos to the film’s costume designer during all hours of the evening, “pointing them in the direction” that she wanted.
In his filing, Justin claimed the wardrobe designer had to reshop Blake’s wardrobe, “far exceeding the allocated budget and diverting time and resources.”
He included one alleged example of Blake’s behavior. He said Blake insisted her character “had money” and could afford shoes that cost $5,000, which led to Justin rethinking “the entire script that had been worked on for well over a year and had been approved by both studios.”
Justin accused Blake of refusing to participate in wardrobe fittings at the production office, “a mere 15 minutes away from her” home in Tribeca.
In his filing, Justin said despite Blake being an executive producer on the film, she “paid no mind to the budget and the months of planning that had already occurred.”
Justin said in an effort to maintain harmony at the start of their working relationship and to avoid further delays caused by wardrobe conflicts, he and the studio allowed Blake “full control over her wardrobe.”
“This concession quickly proved regrettable,” Justin’s lawyer wrote. Justin said Blake was photographed by paparazzi in character wearing her self-selected wardrobe.
“These images were described as unflattering and sparked a backlash from the film’s distributor, Sony. [Justin] received direct criticism from Sony, who voiced concerns about the impact of the photos on the film’s public perception,” Justin’s lawsuit against The New York Times read.
Justin said that this led him to approach Blake in her trailer to talk necessary wardrobe adjustments.
“This conversation, while professional, took considerable time and was later grossly misrepresented in [Blake’s lawsuit], falsely characterizing the exchange as a ‘lengthy outburst’ that delayed filming and caused the crew to ‘wait for hours while [Justin] cried in [Blake’s] dressing room.” Justin’s lawyer said the account in Blake’s lawsuit was false.
His lawyer continued, “Although [Justin] did briefly tear up during the conversation, it was in response to what he believed was a genuine compliment from [Blake], praising his work as a director and actor. In hindsight, [Justin] recognized this as a manipulation tactic, likely intended to persuade him to continue allowing her unchecked control over wardrobe decisions.”
Justin said Blake later leveraged this conversation in support of her allegations that he made inappropriate comments about her appearance.
His lawsuit read, “In reality, [Justin] was relaying [Sony’s] concerns and the widespread social media criticism regarding the wardrobe’s failure to meet audience expectations – a sentiment [Justin] shared.”
“This incident marked the beginning of a troubling pattern of manipulative behavior by [Blake],” Justin’s lawyer added. In her lawsuit, Blake detailed the conversation with Justin differently.
She said, “On the second day of filming, for example, [Justin] made the rest of the cast and crew wait for hours while he cried in [Blake’s] dressing room, claiming social media commentators were saying that [Blake] looked old and unattractive based on paparazzi photos from the set. [Blake] tried to reassure him that she should look authentic in the scenes depicted in the photos, which were just after her character had been abused by her fictional husband, rather than ‘hot’—[Justin], however, appeared focused on [Blake’s] sexual appeal above all else.”
In her lawsuit, Blake accused Justin and producer Jamey Heath of sexual harassment. She claimed Justin spoke about sex on set, improvised unwanted kissing scenes and called her personal trainer behind her back to talk about her weight.
She accused Jamey of showing her a video that featured his naked wife. Blake also accused the duo of coming into her trailer uninvited while she was breastfeeding. The actress claimed Justin hired a crisis PR team to smear her publicly after she complained about their behavior. Justin and Jamey denied the claims of sexual harassment.
In his filing, Justin submitted an alleged text from Blake showing her invite him into her trailer.
For his part, Justin sued The New York Times claiming the outlet worked with Blake to publish a one-sided article based on Blake’s complaint. A rep for The New York Times denied the claims in a statement, “Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported.”
The spokesperson said reporters had reviewed “thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and email that we quote accurately and at length in the article.”
Justin has yet to respond to Blake’s federal lawsuit.
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