‘A Simple Favor’ Director Paul Feig Shows Support for Blake Lively: “She Truly Did Not Deserve Any of This Smear Campaign Against Her”

by

As a seasoned gamer with countless hours spent navigating the virtual worlds of movies and entertainment, I can’t help but feel a sense of dismay when real-life events such as this unfold. It’s heartbreaking to see talented individuals like Blake Lively being put through such ordeals.

Paul Feig has joined the group of supporters in Blake Lively‘s corner. 

Feig, the director of the 2018 movie “A Simple Favor” and its upcoming sequel, expressed solidarity with Lively following her extensive allegation against Justin Baldoni, her co-star in “It Ends With Us” and the film’s director, regarding sexual harassment and attempts to damage her reputation.

I’ve had the pleasure of working on two films with Blake, and let me tell you, she is simply extraordinary in terms of professionalism, creativity, collaboration, talent, and kindness. She certainly does not deserve the unfair smear campaign being waged against her. It’s truly disheartening to see her going through such ordeal.

Feig unites with America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, Lively’s co-stars from “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”, by expressing public backing towards the actress.

For more than two decades, we’ve been close friends and family members with Blake. We stand together in support as she bravely confronts allegations aimed at damaging her reputation. During the filming of ‘It Ends With Us’, we witnessed her bravery in advocating for a safe work environment for herself and others on set. It’s shocking to see the evidence of a malicious plan intended to undermine her voice. The most disheartening aspect is the use of survivors’ stories of domestic violence for silencing, rather than supporting, someone who asked for safety. The inconsistency in these actions is truly astonishing.

As reported by TMZ, it’s said that Lively’s complaint, filed on Friday, led to an urgent meeting during filming to discuss her allegations of a hostile work environment. It’s also claimed that Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, was present at this gathering.

At that gathering, it’s said that Lively asked Baldoni to halt a series of perceived behaviors: displaying explicit videos or photos of women to the actress, bringing up his alleged past issues with pornography, discussing his sexual encounters in her presence and others’, mentioning the group’s private body parts, and questioning Lively about her weight.

Besides making the assertion, Lively accused Baldoni and their team of orchestrating a “reputation-damaging” campaign through “social manipulation.” The filing contains 22 pages of messages exchanged between Baldoni’s publicist and Melissa Nathan from TAG, a crisis PR firm headed by Nathan herself. These messages suggest that Baldoni desired to make Lively “disappear,” to which Nathan responded, “We cannot state outright that we will destroy her.

As a gamer speaking out, I fervently wish that my legal action could shed light on underhanded strategies employed to punish those who expose misbehavior. May it serve as a safeguard for other potential victims, ensuring a safer gaming community for all.

Lawyer Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and all their associates, issued a statement refuting Lively’s allegations. “It’s disgraceful that Ms. Lively and her team would make such weighty and completely untrue claims against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives,” Freedman stated. “This appears to be another desperate attempt by her to rectify her unfavorable reputation, which was earned from her own comments and actions during the film campaign; observations of her interviews and press activities in real-time and unedited form, allowing the public to freely express their opinions on the internet.

Following the revelation of Lively’s grievance, WME terminated its representation of Baldoni as a client. Notably, WME also manages Lively and Reynolds.

Read More

2024-12-23 19:55