Resurfaced interview shows Justin Baldoni dodging Blake Lively questions amid ‘It Ends With Us’ promotion
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Blake Lively’s recent lawsuit against Justin Baldoni has brought back attention to an awkward interview in which the ‘It Ends With Us’ director was asked to share his experience working with the 37-year-old actress.
The ‘Gossip Girl’ alum shocked everyone a few days back when she dropped a bombshell lawsuit against the 40-year-old actor, accusing him of creating a hostile work environment on the ‘It Ends With Us’ set along with allegations of sexual harassment.
However, just a fortnight ago, the 'Jane the Virgin' star had sat for an interview where he had to talk about his experience working with Blake Lively.
Justin Baldoni’s awkward interview resurfaces after Blake Lively’s lawsuit
Earlier this month, Justin Baldoni sat for an interview with E! News, where he shared his experience working on the summer flick based on the bestselling novel of Colleen Hoover of the same name.
However, in the wake of the ‘Sisterhood of Traveling Pants’ actress’ recent lawsuit, the awkward interview is gaining renewed traction online, as reported by Daily Mail.
When the actor was asked to share his experience of working with the mother-of-four, Baldoni could be seen taking a pause before responding, “As I've said before, Blake is so creative and she works so hard.”
He added, “This movie would not have been the same without her.”
However, when he was asked to shed light on the possibility of a sequel, the ‘Five Feet Apart’ actor took some moment to compose his answer.
After taking a breath and looking away from the camera, Baldoni said, "You know I've been hearing the sequel conversations. You know people ask me all the time about sequels.”
“We are in this place where we are…,” he continued and added, “Just trying to be in the moment.”
“I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude for the lives that this has impacted and the lives that this has changed,” added the star, before shutting down the rumor, saying, “So we're not even thinking about a sequel right now.”
Justin Baldoni loses his Voices for Solidarity Award after Blake Lively lawsuit
In the complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department, Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of fostering a toxic work environment on the sets of 'It Ends With Us', which included making inappropriate comments about her body, and discussing her dead father, among others.
She also accused the actor and his PR team of a deliberate smear campaign against her after the movie’s release.
As a consequence of the lawsuit, Baldoni recently lost his Voices for Solidarity Award which is awarded to a male advocating for female rights. The organization, Vital Voices rescinded the honor recently, and shared a statement informing the same.
Justin Baldoni’s ‘Voices of Solidarity’ award, which honored men who have advocated for women, has been rescinded following Blake Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/RlOUMhTe1t
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 23, 2024
They wrote, “The Voices of Solidarity Award honors remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls.”
“On December 9, 2024, we recognized Justin Baldoni with this award. On Saturday, December 21, we learned through news reports about a lawsuit brought by Blake Lively against Mr Baldoni, his publicists, and others that is disturbing and alleges abhorrent conduct," continued the statement.
The organization added, as reported by Deadline, “The communications among Mr Baldoni and his publicists included in the lawsuit – and the PR effort they indicate – are, alone, contrary to the values of Vital Voices and the spirit of the Award. We have notified Mr Baldoni that we have rescinded this award.”
