Ryan Reynolds claimed director ‘fat-shamed’ his wife, court documents allege

A bitter Hollywood feud has deepened with claims that Ryan Reynolds accused a director of “fat-shaming” the actor’s wife Blake Lively.

The accusations, made in a lawsuit against The New York Times on Tuesday, emerged in a row that has pitched Lively against Justin Baldoni, her director and co-star in the film It Ends With Us.

Blake Lively has accused her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment. Baldoni’s lawyer says the claims are false.Credit: AP

Hours later, Lively filed her own federal lawsuit in New York against Baldoni, 40, and several others associated with the film, alleging harassment and a co-ordinated campaign to attack her reputation because she spoke out about her treatment on the set.

The suit filed by Baldoni and nine other plaintiffs claims that Reynolds, the star of huge hits such as Deadpool, accused Baldoni of “fat-shaming” Lively during a heated encounter at the couple’s penthouse in New York.

It says that the director asked how much 37-year-old Lively weighed because he had back problems and wanted to make sure he would be able to lift her, as required in a scene in the movie.

But the question allegedly infuriated Reynolds. “The confrontation that followed was so aggressive that Baldoni felt compelled to offer repeated apologies,” it was claimed in the lawsuit filed against The New York Times.

One of the film’s producers, who was present at the encounter, is quoted as saying “that in his 40-year career he had never seen anyone speak to someone like that”.

Lively subsequently refused to perform the scene in which she was meant to be lifted by Baldoni, it is alleged.

The 10 plaintiffs are suing The New York Times for libel and invasion of privacy over a story that was published last month entitled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine”. They are seeking damages of at least $US250 million ($400 million).

The article alleged Baldoni subjected Lively to sexual harassment, with the actress complaining that Baldoni and the lead producer on the film set had made sexually inappropriate comments to her and frequently violated physical boundaries.

Blake Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds in 2022.Credit: AP

It went on to claim, that in retaliation for Lively’s complaints, Baldoni and the producer embarked on a campaign to smear the actress.

In response to the article, a lawyer for Wayfarer, Baldoni’s studio, described the allegations as “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious”.

Lively’s lawsuit filed on Tuesday repeats the claims that there was a campaign to engineer social media coverage and plant news stories that were critical of her.

The claims and counter-claims have raised questions about the treatment of actresses on film sets and in the world of social media.

The film, released in August, is based on a 2016 book by the novelist Colleen Hoover which focuses on domestic violence and has sold 20 million copies.

Lively, who came to fame in the television show Gossip Girl, has more than 45 million followers on Instagram.

In the film, she plays a Boston florist involved in a love triangle between an abusive boyfriend – played by Baldoni – and her kind-hearted first love.

The Telegraph, London

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