Intimacy coordinator slams Justin Baldoni's behavior in Blake Lively dance footage as 'pretty damning'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: An intimacy coordinator has weighed in on the controversial dance scene between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni on the 'It Ends With Us' set as the lawsuit drama surrounding the actors intensifies.

Mia Schachter, who has worked as an intimacy coordinator on several projects, including 'Lessons in Chemistry' and 'American Crime Story', analyzed the scene and expressed her concerns over the interactions between Lively and Baldoni.

Although Schachter was not involved in 'It Ends With Us', she shared her expert opinion on the explosive viral footage from the set with The Hollywood Reporter.

Intimacy coordinator calls out red flags in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's dance footage

The explosive footage, released by Daily Mail, shows Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni during a dance scene where the latter appears to lean in for a kiss multiple times despite the 'Gossip Girl' alum pulling away.

Schachter pointed out several red flags in the raw footage, particularly Baldoni’s actions during the take.

“The first thing is that 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,” she said.

Notably, Schachter emphasized that the kissing part wasn't written into the script.

Schachter explained that if an intimacy coordinator had been present, they would have stopped any kissing. She added that it was Baldoni's responsibility to ask Lively what she thought of kissing in the scene, but "he just went for it. She pulled away, and then he did it again."

Schachter expressed that Baldoni’s failure to communicate properly was “pretty damning, both as an actor and director,” further noting that such behavior could lead to discomfort on set.

She expressed that Baldoni’s failure to communicate properly was “pretty damning, both as an actor and director,” further noting that such behavior could lead to discomfort on set.

The intimacy coordinator that she doesn't "think either one of them is lying. I think they’re both talking from their own experience. They are really strongly disagreeing about things like professionalism, etiquette, what’s appropriate, what’s not, what it means to be an actor."

Regarding the power dynamics between Lively and Baldoni, Schachter highlighted the complexities of their relationship.

"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," she continued. 

Schachter further added, "I can see her appeasing him and trying to keep a smile on her face, and that it was 'murky' as to who is truly in charge.”

She made it clear that had she been the intimacy coordinator on set, she would have ensured proper communication and boundaries were respected.

Schachter’s comments come amid the ongoing legal battle between Lively and Baldoni, with the actress accusing Baldoni of harassment during the filming of the movie, particularly the dance scene. 

Internet divided as raw footage of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's dance scene goes viral

As soon as the footage of the dance scene went viral on social media, people on the internet pointed out Blake Lively’s apparent discomfort during the scene, with some claiming that Justin Baldoni's unscripted decisions and lack of communication made her uneasy.

A social media user wrote, "He brought his nose up first and they were joking. You can tell by how much talking she was doing she seemed nervous and uncomfortable and trying to get through that scene. Alot of that intimacy in that scene was decided by justin and not discussed before."

Another asked, "She was CLEARLY uncomfortable and multiple times told him “we should just talk” he kept talking about “almost kissing” and “getting close” Don’t they discuss how such scenes are going to be like before filming ?"

One person remarked, "Her discomfort looks like a lack of respect for him / his direction and frustration over her staunch belief that she needs to sneak direct the scene. She knew her critiques should've been raised and addressed prior to shooting, but this way he can't argue and waste hours."

On the other hand, some users criticized Blake Lively, with some claiming her behavior on set contradicted her lawsuit accusations.

"She was into him. He wasn’t into her. So she tried to destroy him. Tale as old as time. Wait until @VancityReynolds sees all of this. I think maybe their “more than cute” marriage might implode," one critic expressed.

Another claimed, "She did give hints. and he just kept going...that dawg! He definitely wanted more in those 17min. tsk tsk."

One person declared, "Watching this made me exhausted. She is so difficult. She constantly overrides him, but he’s the director, and he is RIGHT about his instincts. If she had an issue she should have stopped the shoot and asked to speak with him privately."

Another added, "Oh my!!! This is nothing like what she described in her lawsuit!"

One commentator said, "Used to think she was one of the good people in Hollywood. She got ‘the Markles’ and it will be hard to lose that liar reputation."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.