Blake Lively is reportedly preparing to highlight an old interview featuring Justin Baldoni in which he acknowledges potentially crossing boundaries with Britney Spears, for use in their upcoming legal proceedings.
The actress intends to present a 2017 interview clip to the jury. In this footage, Baldoni recounts an incident where he approached and hugged Britney Spears, despite not knowing her personally.
At the time, Britney was filming an episode of “Jane the Virgin,” a series with Baldoni as one of the lead actors. She reacted with surprise when he embraced her.
During the interview, Baldoni openly questioned his actions, wondering aloud, “Did I just harass Britney Spears?”
Lively aims to leverage this video to highlight similarities with Baldoni’s behavior on the set of “It Ends With Us,” a 2024 film they both worked on, with Baldoni serving as director.
Her lawsuit alleges that Baldoni engaged in sexual harassment and subsequently initiated an online smear campaign against her after she confronted his conduct.
The judge in the case, due to go to trial on May 18 at Federal court in Manhattan, has already dismissed all of Lively’s sexual harassment claims against Baldoni. But released documents suggest those claims will still be part of her case.
Britney appeared on Jane the Virgin in 2015, where she acted out an argument with Rogelio, played by Jaime Camil.
During a 2017 interview with Fuse TV, Justin Baldoni recalls how he went up to Britney Spears and gave her a hug, even though they didn’t know each other. He went on to say: ‘Did I just harass Britney Spears?’
Blake Lively (pictured on February 11) plans to use the clip of Baldoni during their trial, according to an updated exhibit list that she filed to the court
The show was Baldoni’s breakout role, portraying sleazy playboy Rafael Solano from 2014 to 2019.
The video interview with him was mentioned in an updated exhibit list that Lively filed to the court.
Baldoni told Fuse TV: ‘The guest I was most excited to work with was Britney Spears. And then, it turned out, I didn’t get to work with her. There were zero scenes with Rafael and Britney Spears, probably at her request, because I had tweeted her, I was gonna bring (to the set) a poster from her Live in Las Vegas tour.’
Baldoni said he didn’t bring the poster because he didn’t actually have one and was joking, but Britney apparently ‘thought it was serious’.
‘I was a huge Britney Spears fan in high school,’ Baldoni said.
‘What adolescent boy wasn’t?’
According to Baldoni, he and a few others went to see Britney film her scenes on set.
Squirming as he recounted the episode, Baldoni said: ‘Because I had tweeted her, and she had tweeted me back, and I’d gone up to her, and so, in my mind, we were friends.
Britney (pictured in 2019) appeared on Jane the Virgin in 2015, where she had an argument with Rogelio, played by Jaime Camil
‘We weren’t. And I went (up to her) I was like: “Hey! Hey!” and I just gave her a big hug, and I think I scared her because she was like “Hi”.’
Leaning back in his chair to show how Britney recoiled, Baldoni said: ‘And then I just kind of had this awkward moment of: ‘Did I just harass Britney Spears?’
As Baldoni told it, his co-stars thought it was hilarious, and he looked over to see them ‘on the floor, laughing.’
Other exhibits that Lively mentioned on her list – which runs to more than 800 items – include videos and photos apparently intended to expose Baldoni as a hypocrite.
Before making It Ends With Us, Baldoni cast himself as a feminist man and wrote a book called ‘Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity’ to show how ‘woke’ he was.
The judge in the case, due to go to trial on May 18 at Federal court in Manhattan, has already dismissed all of Lively’s sexual harassment claims against Baldoni. But released documents suggest those claims will still be part of her case. (Pictured: Baldoni and Lively on the set of It Ends With Us in 2024)
Baldoni played sleazy playboy Rafael Solano from 2014 to 2019 in Jane the Virgin. He is seen arriving at court on February 11
Emails already made public show that Colleen Hoover, who wrote the book on which the film was based, agreed to let him adapt it because of his commitment to the female point of view.
Lively appears set to argue that it was a sham and seeks to show the jury photos of him wearing a ‘feminist T-shirt’.
She also wants to show the jury a video of Baldoni’s TED Talk, which is titled: ‘Why I’m done trying to be ‘Man Enough’.
