Jenny Slate, one of the stars of It Ends With Us, described the production as “really gross and disturbing” in private texts, according to newly unsealed court documents.
The 2024 romantic drama is at the centre of a legal battle between Justin Baldoni, who directed and starred in the film, and Blake Lively, who played the lead role. Lively is suing Baldoni and the film’s producers over allegations of sexual harassment and a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.
Documents released on Tuesday included transcripts of depositions and text messages from Lively, Slate, author Colleen Hoover and Taylor Swift. In a text sent on 4 June 2023, Slate wrote: “I honestly have never ever encountered anything like this dude [Baldoni]. He’s the biggest clown and the most intense narcissist.” She added: “Justin is truly a false ally and I’m unwilling to do anything that promotes the image that he’s crafting as a ‘male feminist’.”
Slate, who played the sister of Baldoni’s character, also alleged that she and Lively “both complained directly” to Sony. In a message to her former agent in May 2023, she described Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath as “truly unfit”, adding: “I’m not scared or anything, just repulsed and deeply irritated, and I know Blake is experiencing that on a much more serious level.” Her deposition also recounts an incident in which Baldoni told her she looked “sexy” in her costume, a remark she called inappropriate in any workplace.
Lively is seeking around $500 million in damages. The trial is scheduled for May unless a settlement is reached next month. Baldoni has denied all allegations, and a countersuit he filed was dismissed last year. The court documents also included text exchanges between Lively and Swift, in which Lively called Baldoni a “doofus” and a “clown” while asking Swift to review a revised version of the script.
