Lively v. Baldoni Tests What Crosses the Line on a ‘Steamy’ Movie Set

Footage of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni slow dancing on the set of It Ends With Us has become central to a civil suit that pits her claims of harassment and retaliation against his insistence that the moment was an appropriate, improvised beat in a scene about a couple falling in love.

Supporters of Ms. Lively call the exchange an unscripted advance and part of a broader pattern; Mr. Baldoni’s defenders say the roughly 10 minutes of footage show believable directing and performance choices. The clips are now before Judge Lewis J. Liman, who has pressed lawyers on how far a director can go off script in a setting meant to be sensual.

Ms. Lively’s counsel highlighted Hollywood protocols: intimacy coordinators and nudity riders that require actors to review and approve kissing or physical-touch scenes in advance, including her own rider limiting on-set exposure to what could be seen in a “reasonably modest two-piece bikini” and insisting on written approval for changes.

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