How an unedited video changes the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni lawsuit.

The legal feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is getting even messier, as his team has released behind-the-scenes footage from the set of It Ends With Us.

The leaked footage, which runs for approximately 10 minutes, shows Baldoni, 40, and Lively, 37, filming a dialogue-free scene where they make casual conversation with one another as they dance slowly together. Because the scene would end up in the film without audio, they we're just engaging in regular chit-chat while acting as though they were in love.

The release is a strategic move by Baldoni's team in response to Lively's sexual harassment claims made in her lawsuit, with the footage being the latest development in the escalating feud between the two stars. For the latest on all the lawsuits, you can read a detailed explainer here.

So why is this scene so significant?

Lively's lawsuit cited this specific scene as an example of how Baldoni "ignored well-established industry protocols in filming intimate scenes, and exploited the lack of controls on set to behave inappropriately".

Watch Blake Lively on the It Ends With Us red carpet. Post continues after video.

In the documents, Lively detailed how "at one point, he leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, 'it smells so good.'

"None of this was remotely in character, or based on any dialogue in the script, and nothing needed to be said because, again, there was no sound - Mr Baldoni was caressing Ms Lively with his mouth in a way that had nothing to do with their roles."

In the scene, she also claimed that Baldoni was "caressing Ms. Lively with his mouth in a way that had nothing to do with their roles."

She claims that when she "objected to this behaviour," Baldoni told her "I'm not even attracted to you."

If you frequent certain subsections of X of TikTok, you would think that this video completely contradicts Lively's claims, but under closer inspection… does it, really?

A breakdown of the scene leaked by Justin Baldoni's legal team.

Baldoni's legal team released footage from the set of It Ends With Us in an attempt to support his claim that he acted with "respect and professionalism" towards his co-star and the executive producer of the film.

Raw video from #ItEndsWithUs reveals some very telling conversation between #BlakeLively and #JustinBaldoni.

Read the full story on why this particular scene is especially relevant to their ongoing legal battle: https://t.co/Nioc0QmtCS

🎥: Courtesy of Bryan Freedman pic.twitter.com/nzSdYu5KBO

— TMZ (@TMZ) January 21, 2025

The video released is nearly 10 minutes of footage showing Lively and Baldoni filming some small talk during a dance scene that was set to become a slowed-down montage in the film.

"The following videos captured on May 23, 2023 clearly refute Ms. Lively's characterisation of his behaviour," Baldoni's lawyer said.

"The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another. Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism."

The video footage shows three takes of the same scene and there are a number of moments that Lively referenced in her lawsuit that Baldoni hopes to disprove in his $400 million defamation lawsuit against the Gossip Girl actress.

Firstly, Lively stated that the actor "leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, 'it smells so good.'"

In the clip, Baldoni leans in kissing her neck and asks, "Am I getting beard on you today?" Lively says, "I'm probably getting spray-tan on you," and Baldoni replies that "it smells good".

To this, Lively awkwardly adds, "It's not that. It's body makeup."

It's worth noting that Lively repeatedly asks for the two to 'keep talking' as Baldoni draws closer to her and becomes more affectionate. Throughout the scene, Baldoni often goes in to almost kiss the actress, or strokes her face.

Image: Getty.

Lively tells Baldoni she thinks it's "more romantic" for them to appear to be talking instead of kissing.

"I think we should be talking. I think it's more romantic if we're like... dancing and talking," she says. "Cause it's like the moment they kiss, then you give them the thing that they want to see."

He replies: "That's why almost kissing is also good." She responds: "Yeah. But we're still talking."

When Baldoni nuzzles into the actor's neck, she tells him talking is "more romantic", and he says he "just got lost".

It's worth remembering here that Baldoni wasn't just Lively's co-star, he was the director. The film was financed and produced through his own company, Wayfarer Studios. It's not a stretch to say there was an imbalance of power in these scenes.

Out of the blue, Baldoni then brings up Lively's relationship with her husband, Ryan Reynolds. "I know you and Ryan talk all the time", he said, saying he and his wife Emily prefer to stare at each other.

"You would find it terrifying," he jokes with Lively.

"I'd be like, 'Oh no I found a sociopath'," she jokes back.

Listen to The Spill's hosts unpack the new video. Post continued after podcast.

Another notable moment is one referenced in Baldoni's lawsuit, where the director alleged Lively broke character during filming and made inappropriate jokes about his nose, suggesting that he "should get plastic surgery."

The actual footage reveals a much more light-hearted exchange. While filming a close-up scene, Lively simply said "I feel so nosey. I mean it's like just noses" when their faces were in close proximity.

It was Baldoni who first mentioned his nose size. "I know. And my nose is so big," he says.

Lively then jokingly replied "Yes. I was hoping we could address this. It's not too late" before adding that the film would have to "shut down" and "deal with that".

But she ended her sentence by clarifying she was "Just kidding."

Blake Lively's legal team responds to the video.

After the footage was leaked, Lively's legal team said that the "damning" video had actually corroborated her claims.

"Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described," they said.

"The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognise Ms. Lively's discomfort.

"They will recognise her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent," her statement continued.

Image: Getty.

Lively's lawyers stated the footage showed how Baldoni was "repeatedly leaning in toward Ms Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character".

The legal team emphasised that none of what Baldoni did was arranged with an intimacy coordinator, which echoes other allegations in her lawsuit over his misconduct.

Every moment "was improvised by Mr Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy co-ordinator present", they said.

They added that the video was "another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public."

For his part, Baldoni's team has since announced plans to launch a website to bolster his lawsuit against Lively. "This is what we will be continuing to show with the upcoming website containing all correspondence as well as relevant videos that quash her claims," the actor's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, stated.

Meanwhile, Lively and Reynolds are seeking further legal protection by requesting a gag order against Freedman.

In the documents obtained by E! News, Lively's legal team claim that "virtually every day" since Lively filed her initial lawsuit, the lawyer has "given television interviews, appeared on podcasts, issued inflammatory written statements, and leaked information (including, remarkably, documents as banal as document preservation demands to third parties) to the Hollywood press and tabloid media."

They allege that many of Freedman's public statements, "not only continue the campaign of retaliation that was the subject of Ms. Lively's First Cease and Desist, but they contain numerous new false statements about Ms. Lively and others."

It has been suggested Baldoni's legal team are attempting to sway potential jurors by releasing so many pieces of 'evidence' with strong one-sided editorialised comments from the actor and his team.

Feature image: Wayfarer Studios.