Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni’s body language in unedited scene ‘tense’ but malice hard to spot: experts
In the space of a month, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been embroiled in a legal battle over multiple claims of sexual harassment, extortion, defamation and more.
Earlier this week, Baldoni’s team released unedited footage from the set of “It Ends With Us” in which Lively denies the sexual harassment allegations.
The video, shared by Baldoni’s attorney Brian Friedman, And found by Fox News Digital, it is said to address the claims made by the actress about the slow dance scene.
Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint with Fox News Digital in 2015. On Dec. 20, Balodoni said, “It smells so good,” as he leaned forward and slowly trailed his lips over her ear and neck while filming a slow-dancing montage.
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Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni’s body language in unedited scene is “tense,” but malice is hard to spot, experts say. (Getty Images)
however, Baldoni insisted The comment was made in response to Lively’s self-acceptance of spray tan.
In the unedited scene, Baldoni reaches into Lively’s neck and jokingly asks, “Is my beard growing today?” “Maybe I’ll have some spray tan on you,” she laughed.
“It smells good,” Baldoni continued, to which Lively replied, “Well, it’s not, it’s my body makeup.”
A statement shared at the beginning of the video reads, “The following videos, filmed on May 23, 2023, clearly discredit Ms. Lively’s behavior.” “The scene in question is designed to show that the two characters fall in love and are close to each other. Both actors behave well within the scope of the picture and with mutual respect and professionalism.
“These are three consecutive shots.”
Lively’s legal team said the unedited video was “disturbing evidence” and “substantiated” her allegations of sexual harassment.
On January 21, Baldoni’s team released an unedited clip from the set of “It Ends With Us” in which Lively denied sexual harassment allegations. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Intimacy coordinator Brenda King, who was not involved in the film, said, “Intimacy is such a story in itself, and the way we interact with each other tells you so much about a person and their relationship with another. “
In this exclusive episode, the King talks about how she handles the situation.
“I pulled Blake out of this scene and said, ‘Hey, I see you’re not on this show. I noticed you’re walking around, talking about how you want to talk. You don’t want to kiss.’
“Her shoulders look really up. They’re tense,” King said. I’d say something like, “Hey, what do you think about her ideas about talking and being more intimate, and do you think there’s a way to create intimacy in your voice? And do you think we can clear some distance between your heads? If you’re feeling uncomfortable with being that close, what about other intimacy? Let’s find ways.
“It seems like she’s trying too hard to avoid the scene or make it sexual,” she added. “And it’s sad.
Lively’s team responded by saying the unedited video was “disturbing evidence” and “substantiated” her allegations of sexual harassment. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images)
“Her shoulders look really up, tense.”
“At the same time, I will say, I don’t see him doing anything,” she continued. “He certainly doesn’t understand what’s going on inside her body. … There’s an imbalance in where they both live, they seem to have creative differences in how they try to find or avoid this intimacy.”
Filmmaker and producer Scott Ham Dunas said Lively was clearly “uncomfortable” with the scene, but questioned whether Baldoni’s actions crossed the line into sexual harassment.
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“She’s definitely uncomfortable,” Ham Dunas told Fox News Digital. Especially when you can say, ‘Hey, I’m an actor.’ You know what you’re signing up for when you do, but there is a line.
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Justin Baldoni sued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for defamation. (David Buchan/Various/Penske Media via Getty Images)
He added, “They need to know before they start, especially the level they are at.” “They had to get this done before the camera rolled. So we know what we’re doing, what she’s comfortable with, what they’re comfortable with, and there are no surprises.”
Psychotherapist and behavioral expert Robbie Ludwig agrees.
“My feeling was that he was trying to find the best moment for the character, and if she’s uncomfortable, that might be true,” Ludwig explains.
“You don’t feel comfortable, but it’s strange in acting because you almost know that reality is imitating art. The two of them are in the movie. It’s uncomfortable, it’s insulting, and for some people, it feels like that. Were they treated in real life? What I saw didn’t speak to me about insults. , but his style and style seem like oil and transferred to real life.
Michelle English, a licensed clinical social worker, told Fox News Digital that it’s hard to identify malicious behavior without knowing what happened before and after the scene.
Blake Lively has requested a gag order against Justin Baldoni’s legal team in their ongoing court case. (Getty Images)
“Within the parameters of this clip alone, without the surrounding context and additional information to explore off-camera conflicts, it’s very difficult to identify any malice,” English told Fox News Digital.
“It’s tempting to judge from the video alone that Blake is visibly uncomfortable,” she added. “Body language associated with comfort – such as turning, crossing arms or making more space – may not occur if the actor is focused on watching the scene. Subtle indicators such as tone of voice or subtle expressions of tension may indicate calmness, but these are not always visible on the surface.
“To me, my feeling is that he was trying to find the best moment for his character, and if she’s uncomfortable, that’s probably true. Just because someone’s uncomfortable doesn’t mean they’re actually being harassed.”
Before releasing the unedited footage, Baldoni A 400 million dollar lawsuit They sued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for civil extortion and defamation.
In the lawsuit, Baldoni said Lively “refused to meet with his intimate partner” to see intimate scenes.
This put Baldoni in the “difficult position of meeting alone with the Intimacy Coordinator and later relaying the sex scene comments and plans to do Lively in the absence of the Intimacy Coordinator,” the lawsuit states. “These meetings were held several times, at Lively’s insistence, in the couple’s home, and often when Lively’s husband was present. Lively’s working method was unusual and uncomfortable for Baldoni. He lied when he found out that it was Baldoni who created this situation.
“As a result, many of the sex scenes were not written with the simultaneous cooperation and input of Lively and his close collaborator, as Baldoni had long assumed.”
Baldoni said Lively declined to meet with the liaison coordinator. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
She was indicted in December. A live list of allegations of sexual harassmentA complaint filed first with the California Department of Civil Rights and later in federal court by Baldoni and film producer Jamie Heath alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and more.
In regards to the unedited video, Lively’s legal team said it was “horrifying evidence” and “substantiates her allegations of sexual harassment.”
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“Justin Baldoni and his attorney may hope that this latest incident will preempt the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is painful. Every frame of the released footage confirms what Ms. Lively said in paragraph 48 of her letter. Lively’s legal team said in a statement to Fox News Digital. He said.
“The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning in to Ms. Lively, trying to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing her face and mouth on her neck, puckering her lips with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking to her in an inappropriate manner.
“At each moment, Mr. Baldoni was approached without any discussion or agreement and without any intimate facilitator. . . .
“The video shows Ms. Lively turning back and repeatedly asking the characters to talk. Any woman who has been touched inappropriately in the workplace will understand Ms. Lively’s discomfort. They will recognize her callous attempt to mitigate unwanted touching. No woman should have to defend against being touched without her consent by her employer.”
Fox News Digital’s Lauryn Overlitz and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.
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