Blake Lively’s ‘It Ends With Us’ costars Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate ‘admire her bravery’ amid lawsuit
Lively’s “It Ends With Us” costars, Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate, have publicly expressed their support for the actress.
On Dec. 23, Sklenar took to his Instagram story to urge his followers to educate themselves on the lawsuit that has been filed.
Blake Livelys “It Ends With Us” costars, Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate, publicly showed their support to the star amid messy Baldoni lawsuit. (Getty Images)
The “1923” star shared a screenshot of New York Times’ archive of legal documents and wrote, “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD READ THIS.” Sklenar tagged Lively’s Instagram account and added a red heart emoji.
Slate shared a statement with Today about her “loyal friend” and noted that she admires “her bravery” as Lively enters a messy legal battle with Baldoni.
Brandon Sklenar urged his followers to “read” the lawsuit Blake Lively filed against Justin Baldoni. (Brandon Sklenar/Instagram)
Brandon Sklenar starred as Atlas Corrigan, Blake Lively’s character, Lily Bloom’s, former love interest in “It Ends With Us.” (Photo by Nancy Rivera/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
“As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” Slate said in a statement to the outlet. “Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.”
“I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”
— Jenny Slate
Slate continued: “What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”
In “It Ends with Us,” Slate portrays Allysa, the sister of Baldoni’s character and the sister-in-law of Lively’s. Skelnar portrays an older version of Atlas Corrigan, a former love interest of Lively’s character.
Months after rumors of an on-set feud between “It Ends with Us” costars Lively and Baldoni first surfaced, the “Gossip Girl” alum filed a complaint against the actor for sexual harassment.
Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment, retaliation and infliction of emotional distress. (Getty Images)
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, the complaint — which was filed with the California Civil Rights department — details allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more.
On Jan. 4, an “all hands” meeting was convened to address the” hostile work environment that had nearly derailed production,” the documents state. Attendees included Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni, who is the co-chairman and co-founder of Wayfarer Studios, director and actor Jamey Heath, and more.
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“Ms. Lively was forced to address concerns about Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath’s misconduct with them directly, and began doing so months before filming began. The concerns she raised were not only for herself, but for the other female cast and crew, some of whom had also spoken up.”
In the lawsuit, Blake Lively alleged that she addressed complaints against Justin Baldoni “months” before filming began. (Lia Toby/Getty Images)
According to the documents, some of the demands addressed included no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s or Heath’s previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about personal experiences with sex, no more descriptions of their own genitalia, no more adding sex scenes outside what was in the original script, no more discussions about Blake’s weight or deceased father, and more.
At the time, all parties agreed that the outlined conduct would cease. Despite the agreement, Lively claims in the complaint that Baldoni executed and participated in a “social manipulation” campaign to “destroy” her career and reputation.
In a statement given to The New York Times, Lively said, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively starred opposite of each other in “It Ends with Us.” (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Additionally, Lively denied that she or any of her representatives planted or spread negative information about Mr. Baldoni or Wayfarer, according to The Times.
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Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni and Wayfarer, told The Times, “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”
Justin Baldoni’s laywer alleged that Lively’s lawsuit is “another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation.” (David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Freedman added that Wayfarer, and its executives and PR team “did nothing proactive nor retaliated” against Lively. Freedman claims Lively’s complaint is “another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation.”
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Representatives for Baldoni, including Freedman, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. A representative for Lively referred to the New York Times article for additional information.
Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
