Justin Baldoni filed a bombshell $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds amid their ongoing “It Ends With Us” feud — and Taylor Swift has been dragged into it.
The actor-director accuses his former co-star in the complaint obtained by Page Six of utilizing the pop superstar to further assert control over the production of the popular film.
The lawsuit claims Baldoni was invited to Lively’s New York City penthouse, where Reynolds and “a famous, and famously close, friend” of the couple were present, and allegedly gushed about the direction in which Lively had taken the script with her rewrites.
After the meeting, Baldoni then texted Lively about the pivotal “rooftop scene” from the movie, per the complaint, and seemingly appears open to the feedback.
“I really love what you did. It really does help a lot,” he wrote. “Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan or Taylor).”
13 
13 Lively responds by telling her co-star that she wants him to “win” as a director and actor, and that they are on the same team with the same goal.
Lively then goes on to gush over Reynolds and Swift, calling them “absolute titans” as writers and storytellers, adding, “I’m so lucky to have them as creative barometers” and that they are her “dragons” who protect her in her battles.
However, Baldoni’s attorneys now argue that their client “felt obliged to text Lively to say that he had liked her pages and hadn’t needed Reynolds and her megacelebrity friend to pressure him.”
“The message could not have been clearer. Baldoni was not just dealing with Lively. He was also facing Lively’s ‘dragons,’ two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him.”
Swift’s rep did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.
13 
13 
13 The lawsuit further alleges that aside from script rewrites, Lively also “began inserting herself into the production process in intrusive ways well beyond the scope of her contractual entitlement.”
“For example, Lively began to insist on creative control over her character’s wardrobe,” Baldoni claims.
“While lead actors are sometimes granted approval over their characters’ general look, they generally do not receive full control over.”
Baldoni’s lawsuit also addresses allegations Lively made in the initial California Civil Rights Department complaint she filed and subsequent lawsuit against the actor for emotional distress and harassment.
The “Gossip Girl” alum has claimed that her co-star made her feel uncomfortable on several occasions by allegedly making sexually suggestive remarks, including speaking about his past porn addiction.
However, Baldoni explains the porn discussion taking place when they were developing a scene and Lively “offered up” that she had never seen porn in her life, prompting her co-star to mention his issues.
Baldoni also denies that he ever walked in on Lively when she was breast-pumping or breast-feeding for her newborn, as was alleged in her complaint.
13 
13 His lawyers argue in the new lawsuit that Lively was actually “so close and comfortable” with the director that she “freely breast-fed in front of him during meetings.”
“She took photos of him holding and soothing her crying baby in her penthouse,” the complaint further claims. “They laughed deliriously during late-night writing sessions. All of these events took place after the alleged sexual harassment. Lively’s accusations seemed to come out of the blue.”
Baldoni claims that Lively was the one who made “derogatory comments” about his appearance, “telling him he should undergo rhinoplasty.”
The suit also disputes Lively’s claim that Baldoni hired a crisis manager in order to disparage her reputation, claiming her own past, resurfaced interviews were to blame for the shift in public perception.
13 
13 
