Enthusiasts tracking the legal confrontation between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have noticed what they suggest is her husband, Ryan Reynolds, subtly mocking Baldoni in a different film.
Lively and Baldoni were co-stars in the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s highly acclaimed novel, It Ends With Us, with Baldoni taking on the dual role of director.
In December, however, Lively initiated legal proceedings against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and alleging a ‘social manipulation’ campaign against her.
The lawsuit claims a range of inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature and a harmful work environment, which allegedly led to significant emotional turmoil for the mother-of-four.
Lively, who is 37, also accused Baldoni of trying to incorporate ‘unscripted gratuitous sexual content and/or scenes involving nudity into the film’ and making derogatory remarks about her looks, as described in the lawsuit, where it is claimed he ‘cried for hours in her dressing room’ because she did not appear ‘hot’.
It is reported that during filming, a meeting took place between the co-stars, attended by various producers and Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Following the filming, Lively’s legal team asserts that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios attempted to ‘tarnish’ her reputation through ‘social manipulation’, employing the same crisis management firm, led by Melissa Nathan, that supported Johnny Depp during his defamation case against Amber Heard.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, labeled Lively’s allegations as ‘intentionally sensational’ and dismissed her lawsuit as ‘a further desperate effort to ‘fix’ her tarnished image’.
Freedman additionally accused Lively of ‘threatening’ to withdraw from the film or refuse to promote it, asserting the agency group was merely performing its duties while ‘facing threats from two very influential individuals’.
On New Year’s Eve, Lively lodged a federal complaint, indicating her ‘choice to speak out led to additional retaliation and assaults’.
Lively had previously discussed her legal case with the New York Times, which Baldoni is now pursuing for libel and false light privacy invasion.
This escalating dispute has brought attention to Deadpool & Wolverine, as fans speculate that Reynolds might have taken a jab at Baldoni.
In a scene, Deadpool and Wolverine encounter a Deadpool ‘variant’ named Nicepool, who sports a man bun, a hairstyle associated with Baldoni.
Nicepool comments on Ladypool, portrayed by Lively, saying: “Oh my goodness, wait until you’ve seen Ladypool. She is gorgeous. She just had a baby too and [you] can’t even tell.”
Reynolds’ character defends the comment, saying: “That’s ok. I identify as a feminist.”
Baldoni has often identified as a feminist, referencing his 2017 TED talk where he spoke about ‘amplifying women’s voices globally’, and his statement in Romper where he identified as a ‘feminist dad’.
In another part of the movie, Deadpool questions supervillain Cassandra Nova, saying, “And where in God’s name is the intimacy coordinator?”
Reynolds not only authored the script for Deadpool & Wolverine but the film wrapped up filming five months following his support for Lively in the It Ends With Us meeting.
Lively had recently given birth to their fourth child and accused Baldoni of making disparaging remarks about her body and the absence of an ‘intimacy coordinator’ on the movie set in her lawsuit.
Representatives for both Reynolds and Baldoni have been approached for their comments.