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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Kevin E G Perry

Justin Baldoni’s mother urges him to ‘keep your integrity’ amid Blake Lively legal battle

Justin Baldoni’s mother posted a lengthy social media message to mark her son’s birthday, urging the actor-director to “keep your integrity” amid the battle with Blake Lively.

Baldoni, who turned 41 on Friday is currently embroiled in a series of lawsuits against his It Ends With Us co-star Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds.

The director’s mom, Sharon Baldoni, posted a series of photos on Instagram with her son taken after filming wrapped on the satirical telenovela Jane the Virgin, which Baldoni starred in from 2014 to 2019.

“Happy Birthday Justin - remembering a wonderful moment after the final ending of Jane The Virgin - a moment where joy and love permeated the set, where friendships and family were born and kindness and integrity permeated the hearts of all the actors and crew, where sadness only entered because it was the final scene of a wonderful journey~ and the beginning of the rest of our lives,” his mother wrote.

She continued: “A happy loving and generous memory with hearts exploding with possibilities. Life has its moments and also its surprises - as you keep your integrity through it all, Justice and truth will shine today and into eternity. “

She ended: “I love you more than you will ever know! Happy Birthday my beautiful boy! May God continue to bless you in truth.”

Baldoni’s wife, Emily, also shared an Instagram post wishing her husband a happy birthday, writing: “Happy birthday my love. Celebrating the man, husband, and father that you are. I’d choose you again and again.”

The bitter legal battle began when Lively filed a complaint detailing alleged sexual harassment by Baldoni during production, and retaliatory efforts to smear Lively’s reputation afterward via artificial social media activity and planted stories.

Lively’s complaint, and a subsequent New York Times report quoting numerous texts between Baldoni and his team, were met with strong denials from Baldoni and his producing partner, Jamey Heath.

Baldoni’s legal team on Tuesday released a seven-minute video showing Lively and Baldoni’s interaction while shooting a dance scene in the film, which was also directed by Baldoni.

Wnile Baldoni apparently believed the clip supported his version of their interaction, Lively called the footage “damning” evidence supporting her allegations.

A Hollywood intimacy coordinator who viewed the video also took a negative view of the scene. “I was sort of surprised that this is the clip that his team leaked,” the intimacy coordinator told The Hollywood Reporter, claiming the clip does the “opposite” of vindicating Baldoni because it appears his kiss [in the scene] was not discussed ahead of time.

Read a full timeline of Justin and Lively’s feud here.

The film, It Ends with Us, is based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover, and stars Lively as a florist, Lily Bloom, whose troubled relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) is made worse when her ex-boyfriend Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar) re-enters her life.

During promotion of the film, which has themes of domestic violence, Lively was criticized for what some characterized as a “tone-deaf” approach to the movie, saying she failed to treat its heavy subject matter with the appropriate solemnity.

Her lawsuit alleges that fan backlash was part of a carefully orchestrated effort by Baldoni’s PR team, whose lawyers have counter-alleged that Lively’s lawsuit is likewise an attempt to “fix her negative reputation.”

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