The legal team of Justin Baldoni released on Tuesday (21) a video from the set of “É Assim Que Acaba” the film at the center of the ongoing legal battle with co-star Blake Lively, which they say support the claim that he acted with “respect and professionalism” towards the actress who accused him of sexual harassment.
The released video is nearly 10 minutes long during which Lively and Baldoni are seen filming a slow dance scene that is referenced both in Lively’s initial complaint to the California Department of Civil Rights and in a later lawsuit in which she cited specific cases. of what she characterized as inappropriate behavior by Baldoni.
The former “Gossip Girl” star alleged in her Dec. 31 sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni that he “leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck while saying, ‘it smells so good’” a comment the complaint described as not “remotely in character, or based on any dialogue in the script.”
His lawsuit alleged that during the filming of the montage “nothing needed to be said because, again, there was no sound” and that Baldoni was “fondling Ms. Lively with his mouth in a way that had nothing to do with their roles. ”
“The following Videos captured on May 23, 2023 clearly refute Ms. Lively’s characterization of her behavior ,” said a statement preceding the footage provided by Baldoni’s lawyer this week.
“The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and wanting to be close to each other. Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism .”
In the video, Lively and Baldoni are seen slow dancing on a busy set with extras surrounding them. They can be heard talking about how to portray the private parts of the scene, with Lively telling Baldoni that she thinks it’s more “romantic” for them to appear to be talking rather than kissing.
At one point in the video, Baldoni leans over to Lively and asks, “Am I touching you today?” After Lively laughs and says, “I’m probably spray tanning you,” Baldoni responds that “it smells good.”
The video shows three takes of the same scene, but it is unclear how many images were filmed if any, that are not included in the clip released by Baldoni’s lawyer. Also It’s unclear how long Lively and Baldoni were present on set together that day. .
In addition to co-starring in the film, Baldoni served as director and producer through his own company, Wayfarer Studios, which financed the film and has access to all of the film’s footage.
Lively’s team released a statement following the video’s release, saying in part that “each frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in paragraph 48 of her complaint.”
“The video shows Ms. Lively walking away and repeatedly asking the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been touched inappropriately in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort. They will recognize your attempts at levity to try and deflect the unwanted touch. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by her employer without her consent,” her statement continued.
This content was originally published in Justin Baldoni releases on-set video to refute Blake Lively’s allegations on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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