An intimacy coordinator has commented on the behind-the-scenes footage from Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s dance scene in It Ends With Us, which was recently released by the actor and director’s legal team.
The nearly ten-minute video shows the two stars slow dancing at a bar. While Baldoni’s team claims it serves as evidence of an amicable relationship, Lively’s attorneys argue that it shows “unwanted touching,” supporting her allegations of sexual harassment by Baldoni on set.
Mia Schachter, who was not involved in the Colleen Hoover adaptation but has worked as intimacy coordinator on sets of Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry, FX’s American Crime Story, and HBO’s Insecure, explains why the clip supports Lively’s case.
An intimacy coordinator weighed in on Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s dance scene
Image credits: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
“The first thing is that he is trying to kiss her, and they clearly haven’t discussed that ahead of time, and she keeps pulling away and clearly doesn’t want to do that,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
The scene in question is described in the script as “Lily and Ryle slow dance in the bar. Patrons around them drinking and watching sports. Completely in their own world.” As Schachter explained, there is no mention of kissing.
However, Baldoni “just went for it. She pulled away, and then he did it again.”
His failure to communicate is “pretty damning, both as an actor and director,” Schachter stressed.
The intimacy coordinator doesn’t believe either of the actors are lying. Instead, she attributes the conflict to professional disagreements about what the scene should have looked like.
“I think they’re both talking from their own experience. They are really strongly disagreeing about things like professionalism, etiquette, what’s appropriate, what’s not, what it means to be an actor.”
The expert said an intimacy coordinator typically wouldn’t be present on set during that scene because there is no physical intimacy in the script. If one was present, they would ensure the rules were clearly communicated.
“This is the kind of touch that is on the table. Nothing else is; we’re not going to bring anything into the scene that we haven’t discussed prior.”
The behind-the-scenes footage shows Baldoni trying to kiss Lively, who pulls away, according to Mia Schachter
Analyzing the three takes of the scene released by The Daily Mail, Schachter said they show Lively “appeasing him and trying to keep a smile on her face.”
When asked about the power imbalance, the intimacy coordinator explained that while Lively is a much bigger name in Hollywood than Baldoni, this didn’t change the fact that she had to take directions from him.
“Even though she’s Blake Lively and can say no and isn’t going to be fired for speaking her mind the way that somebody else might fear, she still has to keep working with him and keep the peace and play nice.”
Baldoni’s legal team leaked the footage, claiming it serves as evidence of an amicable relationship between the stars on set
“I can just see her trying to stay lighthearted and in good spirits about it and not upset him or anybody and not waste anybody’s time.
“I would say she has a significant amount of power here. But regardless, he is the director, and she’s supposed to take direction from him.”
After the behind-the-scenes footage was leaked, Lively’s team stated that it shows Lively “trying to deflect the unwanted touching.”
They claim Baldoni can be seen “attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character.”
However, to Schachter, it shows that Baldoni is forcing more intimacy than what was outlined in the script
The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni— who directed the film and plays her romantic interest—began in December 2024 when she filed a lawsuit against him ten days after lodging her initial complaint with the California Civil Rights Department.
Lively accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment, including “uninvited” visits to her trailer while she was undressed and pressure to simulate full nudity that she says wasn’t previously discussed.
She also alleges that Baldoni and his team orchestrated a media smear campaign against her in retaliation for her on-set complaints. Lively references text messages sent by the director’s publicists that allegedly mention their intentions to “bury” the actress.
Watch the behind-the-scenes footage below
Image credits: extratv
Baldoni then responded by suing The New York Times, which first reported on her sexual harassment complaint, and filing a $400m lawsuit against the Gossip Girl actress and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, on claims of defamation, civil extortion, and invasion of privacy.
He claims the couple is using their power to “destroy” his reputation and that Lively “was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth.”
Additionally, the 40-year-old Jane the Virgin star alleges Lively hijacked the film and escorted him to the basement during the film’s premiere in August 2024.
Baldoni’s behavior during the dancing scene continued to spark conversation online
