Private exchanges between Blake Lively and her famous friends have come to light due to her legal dispute with It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.
Baldoni’s legal team disclosed an email from Lively to her former The Town co-star, Ben Affleck, seeking his counsel about the turmoil on set, a move some have labeled ’embarrassing’.
The email to Affleck, 53, sheds light on the behind-the-scenes issues of It Ends With Us, which premiered in August 2024. Just a few months later, Lively, 38, initiated a lawsuit against Baldoni, 41, accusing him of sexual harassment and invading her personal space.
Lively refers to Baldoni’s ‘cult-like’ following, labeling him a ‘chaotic clown’, before earnestly requesting her Oscar-winning friend’s input on the movie’s final edit. The email, exceeding 500 words, is broken down into six essential points below.
She begins by expressing her hope that ‘life is treating you beautifully’, and compliments Affleck on his recent work, including a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial that she and her husband Ryan Reynolds enjoyed.
She writes: “I’m writing with a zero pressure ask. I’ve just come out the other side (well almost) of the most upsetting experience I’ve ever had on a movie. The making of doc of this film would be more interesting than the movie could ever be. It’s like if Wild Wild country, Fyre Festival and Going Clear had a baby with The Room.”
The emails reveal Lively’s frustration with having to rewrite the script and assist with directing alongside Baldoni, whom she describes as a ‘chaotic clown director’.
In her correspondence with Affleck, Lively criticizes the lack of clear roles on set, depicting Baldoni as the ‘actor/producer/financier/studio head at the center’ of the chaotic filming process.
She continues: “Yes that’s all the same person”
“Oh and did I mention he and everyone he had on the movie is in a cult,” Lively added, criticizing Baldoni and the alleged occurrences during the filming.
She mentions that the mix of personalities on set added to the complexity of the production, without even touching on the ‘HR issues’.
She confides to Affleck: “If I would’ve just formally directed it, it would’ve been much easier, but having to troubleshoot through his taste, ego and preexisting decisions made it so difficult and that’s not even touching on any of the wild HR issues and beyond.”
Lively describes the struggle for control over the final cut of the movie, noting that while she had a limited 10 days, Baldoni had additional time to work on his version.
Two-thirds into her lengthy email, Lively implores acclaimed filmmaker Affleck to review her cut of the movie and offer feedback, ‘if you have 1:58 of free time in the next few days.’
The theatrical version of It Ends With Us was about 10 minutes longer than Lively’s cut.
Given Affleck’s esteemed career, which includes an Oscar for Good Will Hunting‘s screenplay and another for Best Picture with Argo, Lively valued his potential insights.
However, she was mindful of his time constraints and suggested, ‘literally text me a voice memo so you don’t have to formally write thoughts.’
Although it might be a significant request, Lively also seeks the opinion of Affleck’s wife, superstar J-Lo, and even suggests the kids could weigh in.
Lively writes: “If your wife or kids are around, I’d love their opinion also (fyi it does cover domestic violence so no one is caught off guard).
“I’m such a fan of Jennifer’s, I’ve told her as much every time I’ve met her, and it would be an honor to have her take.”
Explaining her extraordinary request for Affleck’s input, Lively claims the process nearly pushed her to her limits.
She confesses: “Again, zero pressure. I just really want this to work after all I’ve put into it. This movie nearly killed me.”
Lively expresses her belief that few people could offer the prescriptive and insightful feedback she anticipates from Affleck.
Adding friendly pressure for Affleck to consider her version of the film, she mentions that Ryan Reynolds persuaded Matt Damon to watch it.
She adds, pointedly, that this shows ‘Good men showing up’ to support her, and she is ‘beyond grateful for that.’
As the email draws to a close, Lively makes an amusing remark about securing an autograph from ‘Jason Bourne’, a role Damon hadn’t played for eight years at that time.
Given Affleck and Damon’s 45-year friendship, it’s a playful nod.
She jokes: “Also. can you believe Jason Bourne is watching my movie!?!?! I’ll get you an autograph one day. Don’t worry.”
As she finishes her email, Lively states: “If you’re still reading this, whoa. You’re not nearly as busy as you think. or you’re a very nice person.”