Justin Baldoni Dropped By Talent Agency After Blake Lively's Complaint

As a devoted reader of Colleen Hoover’s captivating novels, I must say that the transition from page to screen for “It Ends With Us” was a bittersweet experience. On one hand, it was exhilarating to see my favorite characters come to life; on the other, some changes left me yearning for more.

After allegations of sexual harassment against him surfaced in a legal claim by Blake Lively, talent agency WME has decided to no longer represent Justin Baldoni, as confirmed by Ari Emanuel, an executive at the company, according to reports from The New York Times.

TopMob has reached out for comment from Baldoni and WME and has not heard back.

Meanwhile, the Gossip Girl alum remains a client of the agency, per Deadline.

On December 21st, the New York Times revealed that Lively submitted papers to the California Civil Rights Department, accusing her It Ends With Us director and co-star of inappropriate sexual behavior during filming. She also claimed they retaliated with a damage control PR strategy after she informed their movie producers about his actions.

Regarding the claims made in the complaint, which precedes a potential lawsuit and came after several months of speculation about a dispute between Lively and Baldoni, Bryan Freedman, the director’s attorney, described the actress’ allegations as “entirely unfounded, excessively sensational, and deliberately scandalous, aimed at causing public harm and reviving a gossip-worthy narrative in the media.

In a court document, Lively alleged that Baldoni added explicit, unnecessary sexual content and nudity scenes to the movie “It Ends With Us” without her approval, as well as entering her makeup room unexpectedly while she was naked, even when she was breastfeeding her infant, which is one of the four children she shares with husband Ryan Reynolds.

In the course of discussing a scene for “It Ends With Us,” Lively claimed that the director inappropriately questioned her about her personal relationship with the “Deadpool” actor, involving details of her sex life, following her sharing an intimate anecdote about his and his partner’s relationship. Furthermore, she asserted that Baldoni, who has been married to Emily since 2013, brought up topics related to his history in pornography during other conversations.

Furthermore, the 37-year-old asserted in her court filing that the ex-star of “Jane the Virgin” declared he could communicate with the deceased, and on multiple instances, he informed her that he had conversed with her late father.

In the filing, Lively claimed she notified Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios (which he had co-founded and is listed as a defendant), about his suspected misconduct back in January. The contract they executed included a rider outlining several protective measures, such as employing a dedicated intimacy coordinator on a full-time basis.

In the legal filing, Lively claimed she notified Wayfarer Studios, a production company co-founded by Baldoni and named as a defendant, about his alleged misconduct. She further asserted that in January, the team had added an agreement to their contract known as a “rider,” which included provisions such as hiring a full-time intimacy coordinator for safety measures.

In addition, the team concurred that they wouldn’t respond negatively towards actress Blake Lively, as stated in her filing. However, she claims, several months later, the director’s public relations team reportedly executed a complex, organized, and well-funded plan to retaliate against her.

The complaint states that they “created, planted, amplified, and boosted content designed to eviscerate” her credibility,” bolster Baldoni’s and “suppress any negative content about him.”

In an interview with The New York Times, Baldoni’s legal representative labeled Lively’s allegations as a “desperate attempt to mend her unfavorable image that stemmed from her own comments and behaviors during the movie campaign; live, unfiltered interviews and media appearances where the public was able to form their opinions immediately and freely on the internet.

According to her declaration to the media, Lively expressed her hope that her lawsuit would reveal the hidden strategies used for retaliation against individuals speaking out about misconduct, thereby shielding others potentially facing similar situations.

Read on for more about It Ends With Us…

For devoted fans of “It Ends with Us,” the adaptation stirred some controversy due to a significant alteration. In the novel, Lily is depicted as 23 years old. Although no character’s age is explicitly mentioned in the film, it appears that the storyline progresses beyond this point.

The choice of Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni (who also directed), and Brandon Sklenar, all in their thirties, as the main cast members for “It Ends With Us” was clear to fans. This decision by the author was supported, especially since Ryle’s profession is a neurosurgeon, a role that seemed more fitting for an older actor.

Amazingly enough, I’ve become utterly smitten with none other than Ellen DeGeneres – yes, the renowned comedian and ex-daytime talk show host! Incredibly, the story unfolds through the eyes of our protagonist, Lily Bloom, who pens her journals as if they were fan letters to dear Ellen, or what I like to call “The Ellen Diaries”. This unique perspective is how we, the readers, unravel the intricate web of events surrounding Lily’s relationship with her parents and the momentous encounter with Atlas.

Although the movie subtly honors the book’s recurring Ellen motif by including a quick shot of Lily’s journal with a note addressed to “Ellen” and also incorporating a snippet from The Ellen DeGeneres Show in one scene, Ellen isn’t as significant a figure in the movie.

In addition to the numerous tributes scattered throughout the book, Ellen’s iconic line from “Finding Nemo,” “Just Keep Swimming,” is a mantra that Lily repeatedly utters during challenging situations depicted in the narrative. This phrase also resonates with Atlas as he employs it in the final sentence of the book. Interestingly, “Finding Nemo” makes a subtle appearance earlier in the storyline too; the movie poster graces the wall of Lily’s teenage bedroom at the commencement of the tale.

Throughout the poignant narrative of the film, I find myself frequently reflecting on my own relationship with my father, mirroring the recurring theme of Lily’s heartfelt eulogy for her dear departed dad. On a casual dinner night, she jotted down five special aspects of their bond, which remained unwritten yet profoundly symbolic. As the movie drew to a close, she tenderly laid these sentiments on her father’s final resting place, serving as an enduring testament to their unique connection.

In a different twist from the original script, the on-screen portrayal of events deviates somewhat. Unlike in the TV series Gossip Girl where Serena Van Der Woodsen would hastily exit a scene, Lily, whose eulogy is notably brief, maintains an intentional silence at the funeral for several minutes before being physically escorted away by a relative. Moreover, unlike in the source material, a significant change comes in the form of a new element – a meaningful napkin – that has been incorporated into the movie.

As a lifestyle expert, I’d rephrase that in a first-person perspective like this: Readers of the book might not realize it, but Atlas expresses his affection for Lily through thoughtful gifts. For instance, when they were teenagers, he gave her a Boston keychain as a birthday present, which she kept even after their relationship fizzled out and eventually caused a rift with Ryle. In the world of cinema, such tender gestures might go unnoticed, but in real life, these tokens of gratitude can speak volumes about one’s feelings.

Later on, after rekindling their friendship as grown-ups, he presents Ellen with an autographed copy of the comedian’s book titled “Seriously…I’m Kidding.” The author included a personal note in the inscription. Ellen then wrote, “Lily, Atlas says to keep going.

In the movie, neither Ellen nor Lily’s mom have as significant a role as they do in the book. While Ellen’s screen time was reduced, so was Lily’s mom’s. For instance, in the novel, Lily’s mom is meant to accompany her to Boston and spends more time with her there. However, in the film, she appears only in a few scenes, indicating a reduction in her overall involvement.

In the film version, only one scene features Ryle’s mother from England, and she is noticeably absent. Additionally, other characters in Lily’s life that don’t appear in the movie adaptation include Lucy, her roommate who moves out but later finds employment at her flower shop in the sequel “It Starts With Us”, and Devin, a former colleague of Lily’s who attends Allysa’s birthday party with her, even pretending to be her boyfriend momentarily to irritate Ryle.

Atlas’ restaurant colleagues Brad, Darin, and Jimmy, who are shown playing poker with Lily at some point, are also dismissed from their jobs.

The film’s portrayal of domestic violence significantly varies from the books, with certain scenes being rearranged or altered entirely. In contrast to the book, when Ryle burns his hand in the movie, he immediately pushes Lily down instead of waiting until he needs to cool it off under the sink as depicted in the novel.

In that particular chapter of the novel, Lily appears to be hysterically giggling due to being drunk (until Ryle gets aggressive). The book reads, “Ryle scolds Lily, saying, ‘This isn’t funny. That hand could be my entire career.’

After I shove Lily down the stairs in the story, she boots Ryle out of our apartment, leaving him to spend the entire night in the hallway.

The conversations surrounding abuse also play out differently in the film. For starters, Ryle doesn’t learn about Lily’s family history of domestic violence until after they’ve been dating a while in the movie but in the book, it happens on the first night they meet.

A significant development in the movie involves a heartfelt discussion between Lily and her sister-in-law Allyssa (portrayed by Jenny Slate), where Allyssa reveals to Lily that Ryle was responsible for accidentally shooting his brother when they were children, as well as disclosing Ryle’s abusive behavior. In the book, it is Ryle who shares with Lily how his brother met his demise, and Allyssa does not advise Lily against rekindling her relationship with Ryle due to his abusive nature.

In the book, Atlas’ restaurant is referred to as Bib’s, a name derived from their teenage phrase “Better in Boston.” This slight alteration helps readers who haven’t read the book understand the depth of Atlas’ affection for Lily, as Colleen pointed out.

Colleen clarified to TopMob News, “The name represented a significant aspect in the novel, which was crucial for Lily to express her importance to him. However, due to time constraints, we couldn’t fully depict all those intricacies from the book in the film, so instead, it became ‘Root’ in the movie.

Indeed, the name “Root” is connected to a dialogue that transpires between Lily and Atlas in the film, which is a topic Lily discusses about Atlas in her book.

Lily points out, “Certain entities, such as trees, possess a strength that allows them to stand tall without needing help from others.” She adds that she admires Atlas’ resilience, remarking it surpasses what she believes she could muster if she found herself in his circumstances.

In the book, Ryle and Lily tie the knot with Allysa, Marshall (Hasan Minhaj), and their parents as witnesses. The film briefly skims over this significant event, but unlike the movie, Lily’s mother was present in the book, suggesting they may have spent a considerable amount on late-night flights across the country to Nevada for the wedding.

As a devoted follower, I’m sharing an interesting detail from the book: Lily chose the name Emerson Dory for their baby, a tribute that holds dual significance. Emerson, you see, was the name of Ryle’s late brother, and Dory is more than just a random name—it symbolizes our shared affection for Ellen DeGeneres, as Atlas and I both admire her deeply.

The movie, however, only shares “Emerson.” And while Allysa and Marshall welcoming their first baby does take place in the movie, it makes no mention of naming her Rylee after Allyssa’s brother Ryle.

The characters in this adaptation might be wearing outfits that differ slightly from what readers envisioned. Interestingly, It Ends With Us faced a significant amount of criticism after images of the costumes on set were widely shared online. However, the book mostly leaves clothing descriptions vague, with exceptions like Ryle’s scrubs or Lily’s oversized sweater.

As for what Colleen had to say about the backlash?

She shared with Today that she doesn’t recall focusing on people’s clothing at all. To her, it’s the dialogue, the narrative, and the story that truly matter – just as it is when watching a film.

2024-12-22 19:18

Justin Baldoni Dropped By Talent Agency After Blake Lively’s Complaint

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