Following high-profile accusations by star Blake Lively, Sony Pictures, the studio that made the movie It All Ends With Us, issued a statement accusing the director and her co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and defamation against her.
Writes UNN with reference to Variety.
We have previously expressed our support for Blake Lively through her work on the film. We fully and strongly reaffirm that support today. We also strongly condemn any attacks on her reputation. Any such attacks have no place in our business or in civil society
The New York Times reported that Lively had filed a complaint accusing Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment, promoting a toxic work environment, and attempting to tarnish her reputation through targeted defamation on social media.
Lively claims that Baldoni's behavior has caused her and her family "serious emotional harm." Baldoni's lawyer, Brian Friedman, called Lively's complaint "disgraceful" and full of "categorically false allegations.
Sony Pictures Entertainment joins everyone in speaking out in support of Lively. Her co-star in the movie It All Ends with Us, Brandon Sklenar, shared her complaint on his Instagram, writing "For the love of God, read this" and tagging Lively.
These are startling and disturbing allegations. Employees have every right to raise concerns or file complaints. Retaliation for reporting illegal or improper behavior is illegal and wrong. We support Blake Lively's courage in speaking out about retaliation and harassment, and for her request to have an intimacy coordinator appointed for all scenes with nudity or sexual content. This is an important step to ensure safety on set
Recall
Former model Stacey Williams has accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment that occurred in 1993. She released this information two weeks before the election to prevent his re-election.