Blake Lively accuses director, co-star of ‘It Ends with Us’ of sexual harassment, smear campaign

Blake Lively poses for photographers upon arrival at the UK Gala Screening for the film “It ‘Ends With Us” in August in London. Bryan Freedman, an attorney who represents Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, pushed back against Lively’s allegations in a statement claiming it was a “desperate attempt” by the actor to fix her “negative reputation.” “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media,” Freedman said. In one of the film’s scenes, according to the complaint, Baldoni kissed Lively and “discreetly bit and sucked” on her lower lip even though the conduct had not been rehearsed or discussed with her beforehand. The “sophisticated” plan allegedly involved hiring publicists, crisis managers and Texas subcontractor Jed Wallace, who helped create and promote social media content that harmed Lively’s reputation, according to the complaint. Freedman, the attorney who is representing Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, defended his clients’ decision to hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign for the film “due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production which included her threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.” Freedman’s statement did not specifically address Lively’s allegations.