Blake Lively has been hit with another shock claim as female crew member speaks out in DEFENCE of Justin Baldoni amid legal battle.
A storyboard artist, Talia Spencer has accused Blake Lively of trying to “wrestle control” of the It Ends With Us film from Justin Baldoni.
Speaking on 60 minutes Australia, Talia defended the actor, after Blake filed a lawsuit against her co-star and director alleging that he sexually harassed her on the set of the movie and then schemed a smear campaign against her – all of which he denied.
Speaking about Justin, Talia described the director as “one of the few directors I’ve worked for that was kind and respectful.”
She claimed: “I feel like maybe Blake smelled his kindness, mistook it for weakness and tried to take advantage and take power.”
When asked if she believes Blake tried to seize control of the film, Talia simple responded: “I think she tried to, yes.”
She continued, stating she believes “there was a massive compromise in terms of Justin’s original vision for the film.”
She went on to say that she finds it “very hard to believe the allegations against him, considering his mission statement about the film. And him, genuinely, pitching that he was doing this film to help young women.”
In response to whether of not she ever felt uncomfortable in Justin’s presence, Talia stated “not at all.”
“I felt more comfortable being around Justin than a lot of film directors, in my experience,” she confessed.
Justin Baldoni previously told PEOPLE: “There wasn’t a part of this production that [Lively] didn’t touch and have influence on.”
“Everything she put her hands on and her mind to, she made better,” he stated months before she filed her lawsuit.
In December, Blake Lively filed an 80-page legal complaint against her It Ends with Us co-star for sexual harassment, claiming he caused her “severe emotional distress.”
The 37-year-old also alleged that out of fear of the allegations coming out, Justin engaged in a “social manipulation” campaign to “destroy” her reputation.
Justin has strenuously denied her claims and is now set to sue The New York Times for their bombshell article detailing Blake’s allegation.
The actor has claimed that the newspaper published an article “rife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions” that relied on Blake’s “self-serving narrative.”
On January 16th, Justin’s legal team subsequently filed a $400 million complaint on behalf of him, producer Jamey Heath, publicist Jennifer Abel, and crisis publicist Melissa Nathan, alleging that Blake took action to take control of the popular film.
On 1st February, Baldoni filed an amended version of this lawsuit which added new allegations towards the publication.
