A Hollywood intimacy coordinator has shared their opinion on a behind-the-scenes video from It Ends With Us, which Justin Baldoni’s legal team released to press this week amid his ongoing dispute with Blake Lively.
In December 2024, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and organising a “smear campaign” against her in the months that followed the filming of the drama It Ends With Us.
Baldoni has denied all of Lively’s allegations and has since sued the New York Times for libel over their reporting of Lively’s claims.
On Tuesday (21 January), Baldoni’s legal team released a seven-minute long video showing Lively and Baldoni’s interaction while shooting a dance scene in the film, which co-starred Baldoni, who also directed the film.
The clip reveals their conversation was mostly professional, with the unedited footage showing the moment, previously highlighted by Lively, that saw Baldoni kiss her neck while commenting on Lively’s scent.
Lively swiftly shared her own statement in response to the unedited footage released by Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer and his lawyer Bryan Freedman, calling it “damning” evidence supporting her allegations.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, intimacy coordination Mia Schachter, who has worked on Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry, HBO’s Insecure and FX’s American Crime Story, gave their verdict on the footage.
Intimacy coordinators help actors feel safe while performing scenes in which they are required to be nude or have close physical contact and ensure that each actor’s boundaries are met.
“He is trying to kiss her, and they clearly haven’t discussed that ahead of time, and she keeps pulling away and clearly doesn’t want to do that,” Schachter claimed of Baldon’s actions in the clip.
Of Lively’s reaction, they added: “Even though she’s Blake Lively and can say no and isn’t going to be fired for speaking her mind the way that somebody else might fear, she still has to keep working with him and keep the peace and play nice.
“I can just see her trying to stay lighthearted and in good spirits about it and not upset him or anybody, and not waste anybody’s time. But of course, she is trapped between a rock and a hard place. I can see her appeasing him and trying to keep a smile on her face.”
Schachter noted that, as a well-known star, Lively had “a significant amount of power” on the It Ends With Us set but still had to take orders from Baldoni as the director.
“I was sort of surprised that this is the clip that his team leaked,” they added, claiming the clip does the “opposite” of vindicating Baldoni because it appears his kiss was not discussed ahead of time.
“For an actor, if they know the plan ahead of time and they’re not caught off guard, they’re often open to trying things,” they said. “The problem here was that none of this was planned or discussed.”
When Baldoni’s team released the footage, it was prefaced by a title card that read: “Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism.”
However, Lively’s lawyers argued it corroborates the actor’s claim that Baldoni “leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck” without prior consent.
“Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort,” Lively’s team claimed.
“No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent.”
After watching the clip, Schachter added that in her professional opinion: “[Baldoni] didn’t ask her or even mention that it was something he wanted to shoot — he just went for it.
“She pulled away, and then he did it again. He definitely should have communicated that that was what he wanted to shoot, but he didn’t. To me, that’s pretty damning, both as an actor and a director.”
The Independent has contacted Baldoni’s representatives for comment.
