Justin Baldoni can be heard apologising to Blake Lively in a leaked voice note allegedly sent during production on It Ends With Us.
The audio message, which lasts for almost seven minutes, is believed to have been sent after Baldoni questioned changes Lively made to a rooftop scene – months before their explosive lawsuit and Lively’s accusation of sexual harassment.
Baldoni’s response to the edits Lively had made to a pivotal scene in the drama led the upset actor to express her disappointment with her director and co-star, for which he said he was “really sorry”.
“Man, reading the second part of your message, my heart sank and I’m really sorry. I, for sure, fell short and you worked really hard on that,” Baldoni said in the voice note obtained by TMZ.
“I feel really grateful that you feel safe enough to tell me that that’s how you feel and share that with me. And I’m really sorry. I f***ed up. That is a fail on my part.”
In the message, which Baldoni said was sent at 2am, he said he is “far from perfect”, adding: “I’m a very flawed man, as my wife will attest. But I will always apologise and then find my way back to centre. That is one thing I can assure you of. And I’m sorry I made you feel that way – that must have felt terrible.”
The Independent has contacted Baldoni and Lively for comment.
Also in the audio message, Baldoni addresses Lively’s message, in which she said that her husband Ryan Reynolds and friend Taylor Swift had approved of the changes she had made to the script.
“We should all have friends like that, aside from the fact they’re two of the most creative people on the planet,” Baldoni said. “The three of you guys together is unbelievable. Talk about energy. Force. All three of you.”
However, he said he would have always apologised for his response, regardless of whether Lively had mentioned Reynolds of Swift, stating: “I didn’t need that. It’s really good and it’s going to make the movie sing like you said and I’m excited to go through the whole movie with you.”
In December 2024, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and organising a “smear campaign” against her in the months that followed the filming of It Ends With Us.
Baldoni has denied all of Lively’s allegations and has since sued the New York Times for libel over their reporting of her claims as well as Lively herself, accusing her and her Reynolds of attempting to “destroy” his own career and reputation in a $400m lawsuit.
