The legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has taken a new turn with Baldoni releasing unseen footage from It Ends with Us to refute Lively’s allegations of harassment. In her lawsuit, Lively accused Baldoni of crossing boundaries during a scene in the film, specifically claiming he leaned forward and dragged his lips from her ear to her neck, saying, “It smells so good.”
Baldoni’s legal team responded by releasing three takes from the scene, asserting that the footage demonstrates both actors were performing within the boundaries of their roles with mutual respect and professionalism. The video shows the actors discussing how to portray the intimacy in the scene, with Lively suggesting that a more romantic dynamic would involve the characters conversing during their dance. Baldoni, in turn, made a comment comparing their relationship dynamic to that of Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, noting they talk all the time, whereas he and his wife, Emily, simply stare at each other—something Lively jokingly found “terrifying.”
The footage also highlights a more lighthearted moment where Baldoni checks if his beard is bothering Lively’s skin, leading to some playful banter about spray tans and the scent of Lively’s skin, which Baldoni comments on as smelling good.
This exchange is part of Baldoni’s defense in response to Lively’s lawsuit, filed on December 20, 2024, which has raised questions about the nature of their interactions on set.