Blake Lively Talks About Taking Over Movies in Resurfaced Clip Amid Justin Baldoni Lawsuit

Blake Lively admitted in a resurfaced clip that she likes to take over the movies she stars in amid her ongoing lawsuit against It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni.

During the Forbes Power Women’s Summit in 2022 recently shared by TikToker stephwithdadeets, Blake, 37, said that some of her past coworkers have “resented” hiring her to simply “be an actor.”

“When I went into meetings, I would just seem like I’m just there to be the actor and ready to get the gig,” she said. “I wouldn’t reveal that I actually need to have authorship in order to feel fulfilled. So I think that for them, sometimes that might have felt like a rug pulled because you’re like, you’re trying to assert yourself into something that we didn’t hire you to do.”

Blake went on to acknowledge that she believes it’s sometimes important to stand up for projects she feels strongly about. “It’s just as important to say, ‘OK, um, I believe in this and that’s why I’m standing up for it and that’s why I’m not being difficult,” she continued. “And then there are other moments to go, ‘Am I the a–hole in the room?’”

“It’s about being up front about knowing what you actually need versus just, like, trying to get the job and then, you know, once you’re in it, sort of revealing the scope of your, sort of um, your needs to be, you know, fulfilled,” she continued.

Following months of rumors that there was drama on set of  It Ends With Us, Blake filed a lawsuit against Justin, 41, in December 2024. She accused him of inappropriate behavior and organizing a smear campaign against her, and she also alleged that Justin’s behavior created a “hostile work environment” that almost “derailed production” of the film, according to documents viewed by In Touch. Blake also accused Justin of improvising intimate scenes in the film, body-shaming her on set and more.

Bryan Freedman, Justin’s lawyer, denied the claims in a statement to the New York Times. “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives,” the statement read.

Justin later filed his own lawsuit in January, suing Blake, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist, Leslie Sloane. The Five Feet Apart director sought $400 million in damages, and he claimed that Blake “deliberately and systematically robbed” him and Wayfarer Studios of It Ends With Us.

Blake has since denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

While both Blake and Justin have been keeping low-profiles amid the controversy, In Touch exclusively reported that the Jane the Virgin alum was “terrified” to confront Blake about wardrobe decisions for their film. Amid the lawsuit, Justin submitted an alleged text he sent his producing partner, Jamey Heath, on May 16, 2023. The alleged message was sent just one day after filming started.

In the lawsuit, Justin’s lawyer explained that “on the first day of principal photography, paparazzi capture and publish photos of [Blake] in character, wearing her hand-picked wardrobe. These images were widely criticized as unflattering and sparked a backlash from Sony.” Justin claimed he approached Blake in her trailer to discuss necessary wardrobe changes, as well as his “desire to have more control of wardrobe decisions going forward.”

“Before meeting, [Justin] texted [Jamey] saying he was ‘terrified of saying the wrong thing’ and asked [Jamey] to send him prayers,” Justin’s lawyer wrote in the suit.