Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us costar Brandon Sklenar shows his support for her amid Justin Baldoni lawsuit
Brandon Sklenar is showing his support for Blake Lively amid her lawsuit against their It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni.
On Monday, the 34-year-old actor took to his Instagram Stories to share a link to a New York Times article containing the long-standing legal complaint against Baldoni, 40.
About the link to the report, he wrote: “For the love of God, read this.”
He also tagged Lively, 37, in his post and added a red heart emoji next to her name.
In the film adaptation of It Ends With Us, which is based on Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, Sklenar plays Atlas Corrigan, the childhood friend, first friend and first love of Lively’s character, Lily Bloom.
On Friday, December 20, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing him of sexual harassment and spearheading an alleged smear campaign in retaliation for raising concerns about his inappropriate behavior on set.
Brandon Sklenar showed his support for Blake Lively during her lawsuit against their It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni; pictured in June in Grapevine, Texas
On Monday, Sklenar, 34, took to his Instagram Stories to share a link to a New York Times article, including the long-standing complaint against Baldoni, 40 (pictured December in LA)
The 1923 star previously released a statement urging fans not to “vilify” the women in the film amid the drama and controversy that began to stir during their promotional tour this summer.
At the time, Lively was the target of backlash after clearly avoiding Baldoni while fulfilling her commitments to promote the film.
When fans noticed that Lively unfollowed him, as well as several of their fellow castmates, on social media, rumors of a feud between the leads followed.
In her lawsuit, she claims it was Baldoni’s smear campaign against her — which reportedly included the resurfacing of footage from Lively’s past interviews, which fans found distasteful — that sparked a flood of negative reactions on social media.
Fans on social media also slammed the Gossip Girl star for her seemingly flippant behavior and occasional sarcastic responses in interviews and while discussing domestic violence, a major topic of It Ends with Us.
In August, Sklenar shared an Instagram post urging fans not to slander the women behind the film.
He asked fans to focus on the message of It Ends With Us, which centers on domestic violence and a traumatic love story.
Perhaps through additional subtext, he also suggested that the film is a “harsh reality check for the men who have to get their act together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.”
About the link to the lawsuit, he wrote, “For the love of God, read this.” He also tagged Lively, 37, and added a red heart emoji next to her name
In the film adaptation of It Ends With Us (pictured), which is based on the novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, Sklenar plays Atlas Corrigan, the childhood friend, first friend and first love of Lively’s character, Lily Bloom.
“Slandering the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. In fact, it is the opposite of the point,” he wrote.
“What may or may not have happened behind the scenes hopefully does not and should not detract from our intentions in making this film.”
Sklenar added: “It has been disheartening to see how much negativity is being projected online.”
He also noted that “someone very close to me” experienced a similar, toxic relationship as shown in the film, which he said “saved her life,” and said he feels a “responsibility to bring this to life and help spread that’. message further.’
Sklenar isn’t the only one who worked on It Ends With Us and has also spoken out in support of Lively.
Just days earlier, shortly after Lively’s filing, Hoover — who also served as an executive producer on the adaptation — broke her silence on the lawsuit between her two leads.
She shared a photo of herself and Lively posing together, which appeared to be from their promotional tour.
Hoover wrote in his speech to the actress, “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.
“Thank you for being exactly the person that you are,” she added. ‘Never change. Never wither.”
On Friday, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing him of sexual harassment and directing an alleged smear campaign in retaliation for raising concerns about his inappropriate behavior on set; pictured in January
Sklenar previously released a statement urging fans not to “vilify” the women in the film amid the controversy that began to arise during their promotional tour last summer; seen in June in Grapevine, Texas
He asked fans to focus on the message of It Ends With Us, which centers on domestic violence and a traumatic love story; pictured in August in NYC
In addition to Sklenar and Hoover, a slew of A-stars have also come forward to defend the actress.
Her former costars from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants — America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel — shared a joint statement applauding their longtime “friend and sister” for “fighting back” against Baldoni.
Director Paul Feig, who worked with Lively on A Simple Favor and its sequel, also spoke out in favor of the actress.
He wrote that she “really did not deserve this smear campaign against her,” adding that he felt “terrible that she had to endure this.”
Amber Heard also spoke out about the ordeal, saying she knows far too well what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a smear campaign.”
Comedian Amy Schumer also showed her support for Lively, simply writing on her Instagram Stories, “I believe Blake.”