Justin Baldoni Said He Had to ‘Leave the Set’ to ‘Shake Out’ the Tension While Filming ‘It Ends With Us’

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively are at the center of controversy surrounding the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s hit novel, It Ends With Us. Baldoni directed and co-starred in the film, and several insiders claim that he had difficulty working with Lively. Here’s what he said about the “tension” he experienced while filming that caused him to “leave the set.”

Justin Baldoni said filming ‘It Ends With Us’ was so tense that he had to periodically ‘leave the set’

After filming It Ends With Us, Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively might be at odds. The actors co-starred in the intense film that centers on themes of domestic violence. They didn’t promote the film together, nor did they take any photos together while on the red carpet. Some insiders alleged that Lively felt uncomfortable filming with Baldoni because she felt “fat-shamed” by him asking about her weight before lifting her into the air during a scene. Lively also allegedly didn’t like that Baldoni seemed to “linger” too long after a kissing scene.

Lively and Baldoni talked about the importance of including intimacy directors in the filming process. Baldoni told Harper’s Bazaar India that the intimacy directors made both actors feel “safe.” He then spoke about the “tension” he felt while filming certain scenes.

“When you shoot a film like this, as an actor, all this tension lives in your body,” Baldoni said. “There were times when I had to literally leave the set for a second before the next setup to shake it out or release it as best as I could. Having them on set and always in my eyeline was invaluable because, at any point, I could look to one of them for a thumbs up, or we’d work on another approach together. They were such an important and integral part of our process.”

During the same interview, Baldoni praised Lively. “Once Blake signed onto the film, she was involved in all areas of production,” he said. “She is an all-encompassing creative who makes everything she touches better.”

Blake Lively also spoke about the importance of having intimacy directors on set

It Ends With Us stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni didn’t discuss the importance of intimacy directors together, but they addressed the subject separately. Lively told Digital Spy that having the coordinators is “critical.”

“I think it’s critical to have an intimacy coordinator,” she said. “You coordinate stunts, you coordinate dancing; it is choreography. So, it’s to be able to say, ‘This is what happens here, here and here in a stunt’, and, ‘This is what happens here and here in a dance’, but like, ‘Now, you guys put your bodies together, and your mouths, and whatever,’ and just action and cut. I think that being choreographed is critical for everyone’s safety.”

It’s unclear if the intimacy coordinators were present for Baldoni’s alleged “lingering” kiss that made Lively uncomfortable.

Justin Baldoni hired a PR crisis manager to help with the current fallout

Justin Baldoni is preparing to deal with potential fallout due to his alleged feud with Blake Lively. He hired PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan to help.

So, what’s the most significant issue between Baldoni and Lively? In addition to Lively’s alleged discomfort, sources claimed Baldoni and Lively had problems in the postproduction stage of It Ends With Us. Lively had Deadpool & Wolverine editor Shane Reid provide a cut of the film, which raised eyebrows due to her husband starring in the movie. It’s unclear if any of this cut made it to the final cut of It Ends With Us, as Reid did not receive credit.

Fans will have to see how Baldoni proceeds with the crisis manager.

Elements of this article were initially reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

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