Blake Lively's lawyers claim Justin Baldoni's camp is misrepresenting a kiss during It Ends With Us filming
Legal representatives for Justin Baldoni assert that Blake Lively initiated an unplanned kiss during the filming of a cut sequence for It Ends With Us.
Baldoni's legal counsel claimed that on May 19, 2023, Lively, 38, "directed a scene she personally incorporated into the screenplay, where her role kissed Baldoni's character in each take," as stated in the Wayfarer parties' motion for summary judgment, which Us Weekly acquired on Thursday, November 13. Nevertheless, his attorneys contended that the film's screenplay contained "no mention of a kiss."
Video evidence of the spontaneous interaction was presented as part of the court submission. The sixty-second video, released by People on Thursday, depicted Baldoni, 41, and Lively embodying their roles as Ryle and Lily, respectively, during the shooting of a hospital sequence. Lively approached Baldoni, offered him a compact notebook, and delivered a swift kiss on his lips prior to departing.
Us Weekly contacted representatives for Lively seeking a statement.
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Baldoni's submission follows Lively's earlier lawsuit against her co-star and director, among others, alleging sexual harassment and retribution, claims that Baldoni has refuted.
Lively convened with Baldoni and the producers in January 2024, post-Hollywood strikes, to confer about resuming production for It Ends With Us, at which point she outlined specific stipulations for her return. Among those demands was "a cessation of improvised kissing," as disclosed in Lively's December 2024 legal document filed against Baldoni.
Baldoni's representatives propose that the excised scene demonstrates Lively's participation in unscripted kisses prior to that discussion.
In January, Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's attorney, disseminated backstage video clips that allegedly depicted the actor and his fellow cast member engaging in cordial exchanges between shots during the filming of a romantic sequence for It Ends With Us. Lively's counsel contended that the video displayed multiple "spontaneous" instances, such as "Mr. Baldoni consistently moving closer to Ms. Lively, trying to kiss her, kissing her forehead, pressing his face and mouth against her neck, gently tapping her lip with his thumb, fondling her, remarking on her pleasant scent, and conversing with her outside of their roles."
Baldoni's legal team responded to the allegations of non-scripted kisses within his $400 million lawsuit brought against Lively in January, a case that has subsequently been dropped. His representatives maintained that the sole kissing scenes captured before the industrial action were all pre-written.
“Lively further protests that unsuitable and impromptu kissing occurred during the initial filming phase, preceding the strike cessation. Yet, in reality, the only two kissing scenes shot during that early production phase both incorporated kisses precisely as they were detailed in the screenplay. These instances of kissing were not unscripted," the court documents indicated.
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Both Baldoni and Lively are anticipated to give testimony during the trial scheduled for March 2026. In his Thursday submission, Baldoni petitioned the judge for a favorable verdict without moving to a full trial, though a decision remains pending.
Baldoni's latest legal submission occurred a day subsequent to Lively's team's filing on Wednesday, November 12, asserting that numerous parties "participated, either directly or indirectly," in "magnifying, promoting, or diminishing" data "to sway the online social and journalistic discourse surrounding them, including through criticizing and propagating untrue accounts concerning Ms. Lively's purportedly troublesome conduct on set, and/or portraying her as a 'bully' or 'mean girl.'"
