Blake Lively's allegations shake Hollywood as industry reacts

Brandon Sklenar, who portrayed Lily Bloom's first love in the film "It Ends With Us," sided with Blake Lively, who accused Justin Baldoni of harassment and orchestrating a hate campaign against her. Sklenar posted on Instagram with a plea: "For the love of God, read this," referring to Lively's complaint against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios.

Sklenar, who played the character of Atlas Corrigan in the film, joined others publicly supporting Lively. This group includes Colleen Hoover, the author of the book "It Ends With Us," actresses from "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," Amber Heard, and director Paul Feig. Sony Pictures, the film's distributor, also expressed support for Lively, condemning any attacks on the actress.

SAG-AFTRA, an organization representing actors, stood by Lively, emphasizing that actors have the right to report misconduct. "These are startling and troubling allegations. Employees have every right to raise issues of concern or to file complaints. Retaliation for reporting misconduct or inappropriate behaviour is illegal and wrong," the statement read.

As a result of Lively's accusations, Justin Baldoni was removed from the WME agency, which also represents Lively. This demonstrates how seriously the film industry takes such allegations. Meanwhile, Baldoni's lawyers are on the defensive. Bryan Freedman, representing the actor, claims that it is now Blake Lively who is running a smear campaign against his client, attempting to ruin his career. He alleges that the star acted without class and respect for the production during the promotion of "It Ends With Us." He also noted that Baldoni received "threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources." However, he did not disclose their names.

"It Ends With Us" has been mired in controversy from the outset. The book deals with the topic of domestic violence, and some critics argue it justifies the behaviour of abusers. Similar accusations resurfaced after the film's release. Nonetheless, it was a box office success and later gained popularity on streaming platforms. During the promotion of the movie, rumours emerged about a toxic relationship between Lively and Baldoni. The actor and director of "It Ends..." promoted the film separately from his co-star, with no joint photos or interviews. It was also noted that the stars do not follow Baldoni on Instagram, a detail that may seem trivial but carries weight in today's pop culture landscape.

In recent months, as reported by international media, Lively and her legal team have been preparing a lawsuit against Baldoni, gathering evidence, including private correspondence between the actor and a PR firm tasked with damaging Lively's reputation online. The actress alleges that on set, she was forced to watch indecent videos presented by Baldoni, endure questions about her intimate life, and perform in improvised intimate scenes to which she had not previously consented. The case is ongoing.