Ryan Reynolds’ thinly veiled dig at Justin Baldoni amid Blake Lively legal battle

Ryan Reynolds appears to have hit out at Justin Baldoni as the Blake Lively legal battle takes an unexpected turn.

Ryan Reynolds seemingly made a thinly veiled dig at Justin Baldoni in his most recent profile with TIME100 Companies.

While discussing the aftermath of Baldoni’s lawsuit against him and wife Blake Lively for defamation and extortion, he told the outlet that it’s actually given his business endeavours more visibility.

“Accessibility and accountability are a big part of how I do things,” he said.

“The people that I work with know me, so there’s never a question of anything like that. If you operate with some degree of core values and integrity, they’re going to help you up. If you’re an a–hole, they’re not. And that’s pretty simple.”

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Picture: Getty Images

Justin Baldoni. Picture: Getty Images for Vital Voices Global Partnership

Besides being one of the most famous actors in Hollywood, Reynolds owns production company and marketing firm Maximum Effort, while also investing in businesses like Aviation Gin, discount telecommunications company Mint Mobile, Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC and the cybersecurity app 1Password.

He also told the outlet that the public’s opinion of the legal drama is “meaningless” to him.

“I can read something that says, ‘He should be drawn and quartered. I could read something that says I should win a Nobel prize. Both are meaningless,” the Deadpool actor, 48, said.

“None of us are comprised of our best moments. None of us are defined by our worst moments. We are something in the middle.”

Justin Baldoni, right, and Blake Lively in a scene from It Ends With Us. Picture: Nicole Rivelli/Sony Pictures via AP

It comes as Baldoni will not be moving forward with amending his $US400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds.

After Judge Lewis J. Liman shockingly threw out Baldoni’s countersuit earlier this month, the actor/director’s lawyer Bryan Freedman told The New York Post’s Page Six that they are now focusing on Baldoni’s defence.

“The Court’s decision on the motion to dismiss has no effect whatsoever on the truth that there was no harassment nor any smear campaign, and it does not in any way affect our vigorous defence against Ms. Lively’s claims,” Freedman said in a statement Tuesday.

“Discovery is proceeding and we are confident that we will prevail against these factually baseless accusations,” he added.

Liman claimed in his ruling to dismiss the defamation suit that Baldoni and his legal team “have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her [California Civil Rights Department] complaint, which are privileged.”

As part of the judge’s decision, Baldoni was given until June 23 to amend his claims for breach of implied covenant (suggesting that terms agreed upon in their legal agreement were violated) and tortious interference with contract (intentionally disrupting the relationship or contractual agreement between parties, potentially leading to significant financial damages and reputational harm).

However, “instead of revising the existing claims,” Freedman told us that they “will be pursuing additional legal options that are available to us.”

US actor Justin Baldoni's lead counsel Bryan Freedman. Picture: AFP

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Lively told Page Six in a statement: “The Court dismissed the frivolous $US400 million Baldoni-Wayfarer lawsuit in its entirety.

In the days that followed, Baldoni’s lawyer said the judge’s decision to dismiss their case was not a big deal as they promised to amend and refile it.

“As per usual, that was not true. The Court’s dismissal of Baldoni’s sham lawsuit was a total victory after all.”

Baldoni, 41, launched his suit against Lively, Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloane in January after the “Gossip Girl” alum accused him of sexual harassment during production on “It Ends With Us” in a complaint filed last December.

Blake Lively and husband Canadian-US actor Ryan Reynolds. Picture: AFP

Justin Baldoni. Picture: Getty Images

Soon after she filed the complaint, Lively, 37, officially sued the “Jane the Virgin” alum for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and lost wages.

Last week, Baldoni scored his own legal victory as Liman ruled that he could access to private text messages between Lively and Taylor Swift about the 2024 domestic violence film.

“The requests for messages with Swift regarding the film and this action are reasonably tailored to discover information that would prove or disprove Lively’s harassment and retaliation claims,” the judge said in documents obtained by Page Six.

– This story originally appeared in The New York Post.