Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni’s body language in unedited scene is ‘tense’, but it’s hard to detect malice: experts
Over the course of a month, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been embroiled in a legal battle over various claims of sexual harassment, extortion, defamation and more.
Earlier this week, Baldoni’s team posted unedited footage from the set of “It Ends With Us” that he claims refutes Lively’s previous allegations of sexual harassment.
A video shared by Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, and obtained by Fox News Digital, reportedly addresses the actress’ claims about the slow dance scene.
In her December 20 report of sexual harassment obtained by Fox News Digital, Lively claimed that Baldoni “leaned forward and slowly pulled his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, ‘It smells so good,'” while filming the slow dance scene.
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Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni’s body language in unedited scene is “tense,” but it’s hard to detect malice, experts say. (Getty Images)
However, Baldoni insisted the comment was made in regards to Lively’s own admission about her spray tanning.
In a video of the unedited scene, Baldoni snuggled up against Lively’s neck and jokingly asked, “Will I get your beard today?” She laughed and said, “I’m probably blacking you out.”
Baldoni then stated, “It smells good,” to which Lively replied, “Well, it’s not that. It’s my body makeup.”
“The following videos recorded on May 23, 2023 clearly refute Ms. Lively’s characterization of his behavior,” reads the statement shared at the start of the video. “The intimate scene is designed to show two characters falling in love and longing for intimacy. Both actors clearly behave well within the confines of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism.
“These are all three frames of the shot sequence.”
Livelyn’s legal team claimed the unedited video was “damning evidence” and “corroborates” her allegations of sexual harassment.
On Jan. 21, Baldoni’s team released unedited footage from the set of “It Ends With Us” that it claims refutes Lively’s sexual harassment allegations. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Brenda Kingintimacy coordinator who was not involved in the film, said, “Intimacy is such a story in itself, and the way we interact with each other in intimacy tells you so much about the person and their relationship with the other.”
In this particular scene, King explained how she would act in that situation.
“I would love to pull Blake out of this scene and say, ‘Hey, I see you’re not present in this scene. I’ve noticed you’re distracting, you’re talking how you want to talk. You don’t want to kiss.’
“Her shoulders seem to be up really high. They’re tense,” King said. “I’d say something like, ‘Hey, how do you feel about her ideas about conversation and intimacy, and do you think there’s a way to create intimacy with your voice? And do you think we could put some space between your heads? If there’s any discomfort that you’re so close, let’s find other ways to feel intimate.’
“It seems like he’s trying very hard to remove or desexualize the scene,” she added. “And that’s unfortunate.
Livelyn’s team fired back, claiming the unedited video was “damning evidence” and “corroborates” her allegations of sexual harassment. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images)
“Her shoulders seem really high. They’re tense.”
“At the same time, I would say, I don’t see him doing anything wrong,” she continued. “He’s definitely not perceiving what’s going on in her body. … There’s a mismatch where they both seem to have creative differences on top of differences in how they try to achieve or avoid this intimate moment.”
Film expert and actor-producer Scott Hamm Duenas said that while it was clear that Lively was “uncomfortable” in the scene, he questioned whether Baldoni’s actions crossed the line into sexual harassment.
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“He definitely feels uncomfortable,” Hamm Duenas told Fox News Digital. “Does it now cross over into sexual harassment to make her uncomfortable? Especially when you can say, ‘Hey, I’m an actor.’ You know what you’re signing up for when you do it, but there’s a line, it’s all about communication.”
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Justin Baldoni sued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for defamation. (David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
“They should know before they start, especially the level they are at,” he added. “They should have worked this out before the camera even started. So we know what we’re doing, we know what works for her, what works for him, and there are no surprises.”
Psychotherapist and human behavior expert Robi Ludwig agreed.
“For me, my vibes were that he was trying to get the best moment for his character, and if she felt uncomfortable, that might be true, too. Just because someone feels uncomfortable doesn’t mean they’re actually being bullied,” Ludwig explained.
“You can feel uncomfortable, but that’s the weird thing about acting because it’s almost like you know that reality has imitated art. Two of them do that in the film. It’s uncomfortable, it’s offensive and, for some people, do they feel like they were were treated in real life? What I saw didn’t tell me about abuse, but it’s like oil and water life.”
Michelle English, a licensed clinical social worker, told Fox News Digital that it is difficult to detect abusive behavior without knowing what the conversation was like before and after the scene.
Blake Lively has sought an injunction against Justin Baldoni’s legal team during their ongoing legal battle. (Getty Images)
“Just within the parameters of this clip, without the surrounding context and additional information to manage potential off-camera conflicts, it’s very difficult to tell if there’s malice,” English told Fox News Digital.
“Based on the video alone, it’s challenging to determine if Blake is visibly uncomfortable,” she added. “Body language associated with discomfort—such as turning, crossing arms, or creating extra space—may not appear if the actor is focused on performing the scene. Subtle indicators, such as vocal tone or microexpressions of tension, might suggest discomfort, but these are not always apparent. externally. It is also possible that any discomfort she experienced may have been internal and not apparent at the time.”
“For me, my vibes were that he was trying to get the best moment for his character, and if she felt uncomfortable, that might be true as well. Just because someone feels uncomfortable doesn’t mean they’re actually being bullied.”
Before releasing the unedited footage, Baldoni submitted a A $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of civil extortion and defamation.
In the lawsuit, Baldoni claimed that Lively “refused to meet with the intimate relations coordinator” to discuss the intimate scenes.
This put Baldoni in the “uncomfortable position of meeting privately with the intimacy coordinator and later relaying sex scene suggestions and plans to Lively in the absence of the intimacy coordinator,” the lawsuit says. “These meetings often took place, at Lively’s insistence, in the couple’s home, and often with Lively’s husband present. Lively’s method of working was unconventional and uncomfortable for Baldoni. To suggest that Baldoni was the one who created this scenario is knowingly inaccurately.
“As a result, many of the sex scenes were not written with the simultaneous collaboration and input of both Lively and the intimacy coordinator, as Baldoni had long intended.”
Baldoni claims that Lively refused to meet with the intimate relations coordinator. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
In its lawsuit, filed in December, Vividly detailed allegations of sexual harassmentretaliation, intentional infliction of emotional pain, negligence and more by Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint filed first with the California Department of Civil Rights and later in federal court.
As for the unedited video, Livelyn’s legal team claims it’s “damning evidence” and “corroborates” her allegations of sexual harassment.
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“Justin Baldoni and his lawyer may be hoping this latest ploy will outweigh the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning. Every frame of the released footage fully corroborates what Ms Lively described in paragraph 48 of her complaint,” he said. Lively’s legal team said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning toward Ms. Lively, trying to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, thumbing her lip, caressing her, telling her she smells good, and talking to her out of character .
“Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni without prior discussion or consent and without an intimacy coordinator present. Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s actress, but Ms. Lively’s director, studio manager, and boss.
“The video shows Ms. Lively leaning over and repeatedly asking the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been touched inappropriately in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort. They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect unwanted touching. No woman would should have taken defensive measures to avoid touching the employer without their consent.”
Fox News Digital’s Lauryn Overhultz and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.
