Justin Baldoni’s voice message to Blake Lively addressing It Ends With Us rooftop scene released
Justin Baldoni’s 2am voice memo to Blake Lively about their It Ends With Us rooftop scene dispute has been released, adding another twist to the ongoing controversy.
Justin Baldoni sent Blake Lively a nearly seven-minute voice memo apology at 2am after a dispute over the It Ends With Us script, revealing the ongoing tensions behind the film’s production.
Baldoni filed a $A638 million defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and her publicist, Leslie Sloane, claiming the Hollywood couple asserted control over the production of the film.
In the suit, Baldoni claimed Lively “continued to break character” during their slow dance scene and started to “speak as herself rather than as Lily, which was extremely confusing for Baldoni” before making jokes about his nose.
Now, in a newly released — which is over six and a half minutes long — Baldoni can be heard offering Lively a grovelling apology and noting ‘I fell short’ over his response to her script changes.
“Hey Blake, it’s 2 (am) in the morning. Hopefully this does not wake you up. There is so much I want to say to you,” Baldoni started the voice message which was obtained by Daily Mail.
The actor, 41, then proceeded to pour out his feelings about his and Lively’s movie, saying, “I want to start with an apology.”
“Man, reading the second part of your message, my heart sank. I’m really sorry. I for sure fell short and you worked really hard on that. The way you framed it and how it made you feel, I just wanted to say thank you for sharing that with me.”Baldoni’s lengthy message was in response to Lively rewriting It Ends With Us’ rooftop scene with the help of her husband and pal Taylor Swift. The scene marked the first time Lively’s character, Lily Bloom, meets her charismatic but volitive love interest, Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni.
In a January court filing, Baldoni stated that he felt pressured by Reynolds and Lively’s “mega celebrity friend” to approve the scene revisions following a meeting at the couple’s home.
“Damn right you’ve got great friends if that’s how you felt, and they knew that. F —, we should all have friends like that,” Baldoni said in the memo, seemingly referring to Reynolds, 48, and Swift, 35.
Lively previously compared herself via text message to Khaleesi from Game of Thrones, allegedly calling Reynolds and Swift two of her “dragons” that “protect those I fight for.”
In the voice memo, Baldoni appeared to praise Reynolds and Swift as “two of the most creative people on the planet,” gushing, “The three of you guys together is unbelievable. Talk about energy. Just a force all three of you.”
However, he pointed out that he “didn’t need” Lively’s crew to back her up on the script changes because he already knew her draft was “really good and it’s going to make the movie,” just as Lively told him.
“I’m excited to go through the whole movie with you. I’m just excited to spend time with you. I’m excited to be in your sphere and your presence and for us to share creative juices together although that sounds terrible,” he said.
“You and I have been trying to build a relationship which I think we’ve done successfully. Here we are talking like this. … Largely via text and voice note. I will be honest with you, that is not my biggest strength.
“I love being with people and being in somebody’s space and being face-to-face and I think that’s where I excel. But I’ve definitely fallen short at times in our texts and voicemail exchanges because there’s so much to communicate and so much happening.
“All I have to say is I’m really looking forward to spending time together and I believe that’s going to go a long way for our chemistry, which I believe is there. It’s been there from the start, so I was so damn excited when you agreed to do this film.
“I believe it comes from us both being so hard working and having a vision. I’m excited to have a creative partner in that with you.”
As Baldoni continued his message, he told Lively there was “one thing” he did need to get off his chest.
“I am so sorry you have been through what you’ve been through with these other filmmakers and producers or whoever the people were that you worked with,” he said.
“It just pissed me off. Those f — heads that — I’m just still blown away that this is the industry that we’re in and that you’ve experienced that as a woman.
“I know I don’t need to say it but that’s not at all going to be, or will be, hopefully it’s not been the experience with me.”
“There’s nothing more exciting to me than I get to work with Blake Lively and have all of her. That’s what I want.”
In December 2024, Lively accused her It Ends With Us co-star and director of sexual harassment, alleging he made her uncomfortable on multiple occasions by inappropriately talking about his past porn addiction and walking in on her while breastfeeding without permission.
Baldoni’s legal team denied the allegations and claimed Lively’s bad publicity “was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions.”
Lively went on to sue Justin for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and lost wages.
Baldoni alum then filed a $US250 million ($A397m) libel lawsuit against the New York Times for their coverage of Lively’s allegations.
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Originally published as Justin Baldoni’s voice message to Blake Lively addressing It Ends With Us rooftop scene released
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