Early exchanges between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively suggested they had a friendly working relationship before things took a turn for the worse while filming “It Ends With Us.”
Baldoni and Lively both levied lawsuits against one another in recent weeks, with the “Gossip Girl” star claiming the director sexually harassed her on set, which he has denied.
Droves of texts and emails sent between the two have now been released from Lively’s original complaint and Baldoni’s subsequent $400 million defamation lawsuit — indicating they had a rapport at the beginning of filming in May 2023.
Around that time, Baldoni and Lively remained in constant communication, “share[ing] stories and pictures from their lives, commiserat[ing] over family illnesses and exchange[ing] jokes and memes,” according to his legal team.
“It’s such a good feeling to get work done that we’re proud of. And to do it together,” Lively, 37, wrote in one text exchange included in the lawsuit filed by Baldoni’s team.
“It just clicks when we find it. And that’s just as rewarding as filming it. Or editing it. Or marketing it. Or releasing it. This is all story telling. This is why we do it.”
In a follow-up text, she thanked Baldoni, 41, for his “collaboration,” noting that she was “really proud of what [they’re] doing.”
Screenshots from the court filings indicate that Baldoni “loved” the message and replied, “I like sentimental blake,” to which she quipped back, “Never met her.”
Baldoni added to the bit, writing, “I also like a**hole Blake… don’t worry.”
The “Age of Adaline” actress ended the exchange with the same self-deprecating humor, joking, “I’ve met her. So have my suppositories.”
Ahead of their first day of filming, Lively messaged Baldoni to say she was “grateful for all [they had] built so far.”
“I’m excited to start tomorrow. But it’s only one piece of the journey. We started months ago,” she wrote via an email included in the filings.
“Thank you for caring so much and for putting every bit of you into showing it,” she added.
Baldoni sang similar praises after their successful first few days on set, praising the actress for her performance.
“I’m not going to tell you that you were amazing because you tease me for being so sentimental – but you were amazing today,” he texted on May 23, 2023, filings show.
“Thank you I do appreciate it. I’m just a ball buster but it means a lot to me. I care a great deal. And always want to deliver,” Lively wrote back.
“You were terrific. I’m proud of everything we did today, but really every day,” she added.
The exchanges have become a major point in their respective lawsuits, with Baldoni claiming Lively “cherry-picked” messages out of context in her original complaint.
Lively filed a California civil rights complaint — followed by a lawsuit — against Baldoni last month, alleging that he sexually harassed her on set. She claimed he added more intimate scenes than were originally agreed upon, showed her graphic videos, weight-shamed her and made her feel uncomfortable on several occasions with sexually suggestive remarks.
She also accused him of conspiring to ruin her reputation.
Weeks later, Baldoni filed his own lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and their PR team, accusing them of orchestrating a smear campaign with the New York Times, which first reported the actress’ complaint. He also sued the publication in a $250 million libel lawsuit.
The director included even more correspondence between himself and Lively in his countersuit — and there is likely even more to come amid reports of potential subpoenas for those involved.
However, Baldoni allegedly apologized to Lively in a leaked voice memo after she allegedly sent a text about “not always [being] good” at speaking up and instead bowing down to “threatening egos” out of “fear of affecting the ease of the process.”
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She allegedly sent the message following a disagreement over rewrites to the pivotal “rooftop scene.”
In the audio, obtained by the Daily Mail Monday, Baldoni also admitted that communicating via text wasn’t his “biggest strength.”
“I love being with people and being in somebody’s face and face to face,” he purportedly said. “I feel like that’s where I excel and I’ve definitely fallen short in our texting … because there is so much to communicate and so much happening.”
Their trial is scheduled for March 2026.
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