Blake lively

Honestly I find every post that says something along the lines of ‘I’m not a fan / she’s a crap actress / bit nasty’ really quite unnecessary.

The woman is one of the most powerful in Hollywood, married to RR, 4 kids and has more money than god … she doesn’t need to arse about making allegations about someone just for the fun of it.

Is she not using her power and influence to make a stand against shit of behaviour? Isn’t she actually doing us all a bloody favour by saying ENOUGH.

This whole thing is damaging for her - surely many directors will be nervous about working with her - but she has put herself in the firing line because she CAN whilst most of us CAN’T.

She’s absolutely entitled to tell dickheads to just fuck off and demand better standards. Thank you, Blake Lively, for being such an Alpha.

@Feelabandoned No lawyer would advise a client to enter a guilty plea to criminal proceedings if he were innocent, however, in business proceedings you might well take a pragmatic view and not rock the boat. As far as the proceedings for sexual harassment go, Justin Baldoni hasn't admitted sexual harassment whether orally or in writing neither has Wayfarer et al. Justin Baldoni strenously denies any such claim and it it has NEVER been the case that once a woman alledges she has been sexually harassed that it's game over and the Court simply proceeds to deciding damages / sentence. It is extraordinarily misleading for you to suggest as much.

Yes, @GloriousGoosebumps I am a lawyer. I specialise in complex commercial disputes, so not strictly this area (and not in that jurisdiction).

As you quote, the parties agreed that the listed conduct “would cease”. That means that JB acknowledged it had occurred.

On your “recollections may vary” point, it’s important to note that for the purposes of sexual harassment offences (in the U.K., but I’d be surprised if the US was any different), what is relevant is how the actions are experienced by the victim, not how they were intended by the perpetrator.

In other words, touching someone’s arse can still be sexual harassment if they believed you had done it for your own gratification even if you say and indeed believed you were just removing some fluff. So JB can say whatever he wants now about how it was all totally innocent but that’s beside the point. As it was beside the point when he agreed to the protections going forward at the time.

No lawyer would ever advise their client to “suck something up” if they hadn’t done it, btw.

@Feelabandoned Are you really a lawyer? A lawyer who ignores the evidence I listed above (at 07:09) or, to use lawyer speak, gives no weight to it!

Anyway, what follows probably proves I've lost my last remaining marbles but I've actually spent time googling the agreement you refer to. (It would have been helpful if you had simply provided a link to it.) I've found Blake Lively's Complaint against Wayfarer Studios LLC and various organisations.

Paragraph 3 refers to a meeting on 4 January and states "During the January 4 meeting, the parties discussed in detail the inappropriate conduct that Ms. Lively, her employees and other cast and crew experienced at the hands of Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath. After the list below was reviewed and discussed in its entirety, all parties present agreed that the outlined conduct would cease..." A list of 30 behaviours then follows.

In mid-November 25 2023, the parties had agreed in writing to implement a list of protections enumerated in a contract entitled "Protections for Return to Production,” attached as Exhibit A, which included seventeen provisions designed to require Wayfarer to cease the on-set behavior of Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath.

After receiving the document, Wayfarer responded that "Wayfarer, Sony and Production respectfully acknowledge that [Ms. Lively] has concerns regarding safety, professionalism and workplace culture. Although our perspective differs in many aspects, ensuring a safe environment for all is paramount, irrespective of differing viewpoints. Regarding your outlined requests, we find most of them not only reasonable but also essential for the benefit ofall parties involved."

Exhibit A (Protections for Return to Production) isn't signed by anybody, let alone Justin Baldoni.

You'll also note that Wayfarer response stresses that "our perspective differs in many aspects..." It's hardly a ringing endorsement of Blake Lively's allegations. In fact it rather reminds me of our late Queen's "recollections may vary..."

Justin Baldoni says that he strongly denied the allegations in the 17 point email which was subsequently sent and tried to amend the document to reflect what actually happened on set. However, Blake Lively's lawyer said "The list we provided was not intended as a starting point for a negotiation. Rather, it is a set of protections that needs to be in place in order for our client to return to work. please let us know as soom as possible whether Wayfarer will will agree to accept all of the protections included in our original communication." The film cost $25m to make, made $351m at the box office and had already been delayed because of the strikes - I would also have told Justin Baldoni to "Suck it up" for the good of the film.

You seem to feel I have both feet firmly in the Justin Baldoni camp, for the record, I've only got one foot in his camp. I'm only interested in the hard evidence that either side can produce and I'm looking forward to Blake Lively's response.

It's what was said earlier in the thread

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/it-ends-with-us-video-intimacy-coordinator-1236116142/

This is a helpful take, from an intimacy coordinator, who points out that the script only included slow dancing and that any kissing should have been discussed and cleared in advance. But it wasn’t.

He looks like he is trying to kiss Blake just because he can, in a situation where it is difficult for her to stop him. Good on her for blocking him in the most graceful way she could in that situation.

I wonder if this situation (along with everything really) is perceived so differently because it depends on the lens that you’re looking through…..

If you have the opinion that ALL men are out to take advantage of women for example you’ll see that in every context. Similarly, if you have a hard time getting along with other women or if you’ve seen first hand one in your life taking advantage of men. Or maybe you just feel you have particularly fantastic men around you and just cannot fathom them ever mistreating a woman you’ll see things through that lens.

I’m trying to stay objective and listen to it all, trouble is both parties have their own interpretation of the same interaction. I think that the interview Blake did where she was unkind to the presenter was awful and something she should take responsibility for imo. Just say sorry, we all f up sometimes, she can’t possibly blame JB for that 😂. I suppose at the very most she could say people wouldn’t have known about it if it wasn’t for him haha.

I've been interested in this case because JB is fighting back hard and i think its making Blake and Ryan look terrible PR wise. Usually id expect this sort of power couple to trample all over everyone but JB is coming back with a lot of evidence. I dont think Blake is as lovely as people think. She was the long term partner for years of Harvey Weinstein plus many rumours of affairs including with Ben Affleck in the Town. I also believe RR isnt as lovely as he makes out - known for being very serious/controlling.

Yes exactly. Whats what happened 20 years ago got anything to do with anything?!

It’s so depressing to see women shitting on other women like this. It may seem harmless because it’s just celebrities but this cultural mindset is EXACTLY why ordinary women struggle to be believed and why so few sex offenders are in prison. Because some dickhead always goes “Oh she’s not very nice and she’s quite playful and flirty” implying she can’t be a victim

Right. So again, you’re basing your deep knowledge of her character on “inane interviews and press junkets” from 20 years ago.

And you’ve decided this is totally relevant to her accusations of sexual harassment, so much so you’ve posted about it repeatedly on this thread.

Plenty of people are pointing out that people just dislike her because of his smear campaign. I have pointed out several times in my earlier posts it doesn't have a bearing on her as a victim.

Re the concessions made to Blake Lively, you don’t detail the concessions you are referring to so I can’t be completely sure that we’re talking about the same things, however, Blake Lively did threaten to leave the project on a couple of occasions, Justin says he didn’t want to lose her plus he seems to have been overruled a couple of times. I can certainly see why losing your leading lady would be catastrophic. In the main, I think it could be interpreted as something you do for the greater good or sacrificing a battle in order to win the war.

Ok - so just to be clear - you think it is more likely that JB admitted to a long list of egregious behaviours that he hadn’t done, just to keep the peace, than that he actually had done them and therefore had to admit it?

If you are right, he could have just signed up to a list that said (and I’m paraphrasing) “no sexually harassing BL”, but what he in fact did was agree to “no more sexually harassing BL”. I’m a lawyer. JB was legally advised. There is no way in hell he would have accepted liability for things he hadn’t done. The list in question is easily available if you Google.

I don't understand why people can't comprehend some people just aren't a fan, really weird.

Who ain’t comprehending that others aren’t fans?

Some of us can’t comprehend why it’s relevant when a woman is a victim if she’s nice or not? It’s SUCH a damaging view point and completely regressive. The world has realised that there’s no one ideal perpetrator but sadly this hasn’t been extended to victims

I’ll wait until it all comes out in the wash before “choosing a side”.

Omg yes so scary! And nope, i was a huge gossip girl fan and used to consume a lot of inane interviews and press junkets at the time- it hasn't recently been brought to my consciousness. And yes, unless we know them personally the public image of every famous person is spun and curated- her team is also doing the same to him. I don't understand why people can't comprehend some people just aren't a fan, really weird.

Actually disagree about the power imbalance, we know RR was on set plenty and she was aware of her influence and standing given several of her texts about it.

It’s not the totality of the thread but it’s been said by loads of people.

What leap am I making? That she was sexually harrassed? Yes I am except it’s not a leap. And what’s her behaviour got to do with anything.

Im not actually a BL fan. Only thing I’ve ever seen her in was some weird film with Anna Kendrick. I’ll tell you what I am a fan of - women not being sexually harassed at work.

Yes you’re right - there is a power imbalance - JB was the director, producer and lead actor in the film.

@Mollysay when was Gossip Girl - about 20 years ago? It is historic. The reason that stuff is in the public consciousness now is because of a concerted effort, paid for by JB. Everything you think you know about BL has been spun by someone, for better or worse. Same is true of JB of course. You clearly think you have formed your own objective independent opinion based on “evidence” but the evidence you are relying on has been selected by JB’s team.

It’s scary, really.

But that's not the totality of the discussion of the thread? If you're choosing to make that connection that's up to you, lots of her fans make the same leaps to try and deflect from her behaviour.

I guess personally I just don’t see the relevance when talking about woman who’s been sexually harassed and smeared by her perpetrator, of whether she’s a nice person or not. Even mentioning implies it’s relevant and therefore it implies if it’s deserved.

As I've said in my previous posts both can be true and her being nasty doesn't mean she deserves it, is lying or doesn't deserve justice; not sure about other posters but personally I'm responding to posts which seem to be insinuating people who aren't a fan of hers are brainwashed by his PR, and that its bad for women to not by default like them whatever.

Can I just ask what her having an attitude and a mouth has got to do with her being sh? One has nothing to do with the other and we have tape of the other one he provided it himself. and the fact that he provided it thinking that it showed him his innocent is so telling

@Feelabandoned No, of course, I don’t accept Justin Baldoni’s version of events unreservedly, but I do look at the issues raised in the Pleadings and put them against Justin Baldoni’s response. What carries the most weight with me? It’s got to be the independent evidence such as the edited emails / iMessages, the video of the dance scene which Blake Lively said / thought had been filmed without sound unaware that Justin Baldoni had been miked up so sound is available. Blake Lively gives an explanation of what was happening during that scene, Justin also gives an explanation of what was happening and we can watch and hear and make a judgment.

Re the concessions made to Blake Lively, you don’t detail the concessions you are referring to so I can’t be completely sure that we’re talking about the same things, however, Blake Lively did threaten to leave the project on a couple of occasions, Justin says he didn’t want to lose her plus he seems to have been overruled a couple of times. I can certainly see why losing your leading lady would be catastrophic. In the main, I think it could be interpreted as something you do for the greater good or sacrificing a battle in order to win the war.

Blake Lively had her PR firm, Justin Baldoni had his. I wouldn't expect anything else. It's the way Hollywood works. I certainly wouldn't expect Justin Baldoni to sit silent while sexual harassment claims are being thrown at him. Nor do I expect Blake Lively to sit silently now that Justin Baldoni is throwing allegations at her. What innocent person wouldn't respond? Ditto what guilty person wouldn't respond!

👏👏

Ok so you don’t get it !!

not worth my response

@Onheretoomuch Yes, she has a mouth, she’s done it before. It’s on tape. She’s surrounded by people. Would it have been that difficult.
He wanted to go for slimy, she didn’t. He was the director.
Regardless she’s acting, it’s one career I wouldn’t want for that very reason, (getting touched by people that make my skin crawl!) Actors deviate from the script and do what they like. JL was the director so he called the shots I would presume, including performing a kiss that wasn’t in the script, I presume she knew she would have to kiss him at some point.
That’s my take, you don’t have to agree. You don’t know either, it’s just an opinion.

I guess we will see what happens - given he’s unknown and she’s a RR powerhouse.

Cameron Diaz and Chris Isaac was another level.