Lively’s complaint alleges that the director “made the rest of the cast and crew wait for hours while he cried in Ms. Lively’s dressing room”
Blake Lively’s complaint against Justin Baldoni includes a claim that he “cried in [her] dressing room” over social media commentary that she “looked old” in her It Ends with Us role.
The actress, 37, is suing her costar and director, 40, alleging sexual harassment and a subsequent smear campaign. Documents obtained by PEOPLE allege that while Baldoni “was objectifying Ms. Lively as a sex object,” he also “went out of his way to message criticisms of her age and weight.”
Lively claims Baldoni “made the rest of the cast and crew wait for hours” on the second day of filming “while he cried in Ms. Lively’s dressing room, claiming social media commentators were saying that Ms. Lively looked old and unattractive based on paparazzi photos from the set.”
“She tried to reassure him that she should look authentic in the scenes depicted in the photos, which were just after her character had been abused by her fictional husband, rather than ‘hot,’ ” the complaint adds, claiming Baldoni “appeared focused on Ms. Lively’s sexual appeal above all else.”
“His lengthy outburst caused a delay in shooting, forcing an emotional scene to be shot haphazardly,” the document alleges.
When Lively tried to meet with lead producer Jamey Heath to discuss Baldoni’s “unprofessional behavior,” the complaint alleges, Heath “arrived unannounced” at her makeup trailer while she was “topless and having body makeup removed by makeup artists.”
After Lively said they could meet “once she was clothed,” Heath insisted she allow him to enter, and she “reluctantly agreed, but asked that Mr. Heath keep his back turned,” but allegedly noticed minutes later that her “was staring directly at her while she was topless.” (PEOPLE has reached out to Heath for comment.)
Lively’s complaint was filed against Baldoni, Heath, Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios and its co-founder Steve Sarowitz, plus Jed Wallace, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, each of whom are named in the alleged effort to tarnish Lively’s reputation earlier this year.
Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, told PEOPLE in a statement on Saturday, Dec. 21, that Lively’s complaint was to “fix her negative reputation.” He added that her allegations are “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.”
Freedman also alleged that Lively caused issues during the filming of the movie, including “threatening to not show up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.”
Baldoni “often” referred to women in the workplace as “sexy,” Lively’s complaint claims. In one alleged incident, the director “pressured” Lively to remove her coat to reveal her onesie — which was partially unzipped to reveal her bra — in a “packed” setting, telling her, “ ‘I think you look sexy’ in a tone that made her feel ogled and exposed.”
In addition to his alleged sexual comments toward the Gossip Girl alum, the complaint also alleges Baldoni “routinely degraded” Lively by “finding back channel ways of criticizing her body and weight.”
This included calling her trainer less than four months after she gave birth to her fourth child behind her back and implying that he “wanted her to lose weight in two weeks,” the complaint alleges.
Lively’s complaint was filed months after rumors of behind-the-scenes discord on the set of the adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel began.
After filing her complaint, which includes allegations that Baldoni brought on a team prior to the release of It Ends With Us to launch a subsequent retaliatory smear campaign against her, Lively issued a statement to the New York Times, saying, “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.”
