Justin Baldoni accuses Blake Lively of ‘setting me up for a trap’ by refusing body double in movie
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Justin Baldoni has alleged that Blake Lively was “setting me up for a trap” during the making of 'It Ends With Us', pointing to disagreements over the use of a body double during sex scenes, according to newly unsealed text messages accessed by Page Six.
In a private message sent to his former William Morris Endeavor agent, Danny Greenberg, on December 30, 2023, Baldoni complained that Lively had refused a body double for intimate scenes, a decision he said put him in a difficult and risky position on set.
Justin Baldoni recounts 'the brutal experience'
Recounting the experience, Justin Baldoni reportedly wrote, “She’s refused a body double,” adding that the situation felt like “just setting me up for a trap,” even as he claimed she wanted him to rely on a body double himself.
He described the production period as deeply exhausting, telling his agent he was dealing with an actress who was “rewriting the writer and director.”
Baldoni said he had agreed to roughly “95%” of Lively’s demands in an effort to keep the peace, but characterized the situation as a “brutal experience” that had taken a toll on him personally and professionally.
He also detailed tensions around intimate scenes, claiming Lively pushed to keep clothing on during a key romantic moment, an idea he reportedly dismissed as unrealistic.
Despite his frustrations, Baldoni wrote that he was trying to remain positive and push the project toward completion, even warning that disagreements would likely intensify during the editing phase.
Blake Lively slams 'retaliatory intent'
A source close to Blake Lively told Page Six that the messages were sent only after Lively had detailed “the numerous ways that Baldoni and Heath had created a hostile work environment on the set.”
Page six reported that the texts arrived just days before a January 4 meeting, where a dozen ‘protections’ for the safety of the cast and crew were set to be reviewed.
“The text chain underscores Baldoni’s retaliatory intent,” the report adds. “It reflects his private anger over the same safeguards that he had said in public were both ‘reasonable’ and ‘essential.’"
Blake Lively filed a formal lawsuit against director Justin Baldoni in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and lost wages.
Baldoni responded with a $400 million countersuit targeting Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, though that case has since been dismissed.
The matter is now scheduled to go to trial on May 18, 2026.
