Sony marketing exec Danni Maggin allegedly had some choice words when talking about Justin Baldoni just before It Ends With Us hit theaters in August 2024.
“Justin is basically alluding to ‘raping’ Atlas out of Lily when talking to the Dallas Morning News,” Maggin apparently wrote in an email, which was unsealed earlier this month. “We cut the tape but he is a moron.”
Maggin’s email was just one of more than 180 documents that went public last week as the legal battle between Baldoni, 42, and Blake Lively continues.
Maggin appeared to suggest that former Sony Pictures Motion Group president Josh Greenstein previously said that Baldoni “shouldn’t do any more press” as the email continued. However, it was noted that Baldoni — who starred in and directed the movie — had “a lot” of press left. Maggin was hoping that the Sony team and the recipient of her email would talk “ASAP.”
In the unsealed email, Maggin also quoted the portion of what Baldoni allegedly said in an interview as he discussed a scene in which his character, Ryle, physically assaults Lily, played by Lively. The scene comes after Ryle discovers that Lily has reconnected with her teenage love, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar).
“For me what that scene was more about was Ryle feeling like he had lost all power and feeling so insecure and jealous that the only way in his mind that he could show her how much he loved her was — um and I won’t say the word that we used in developing it, but what was essentially to force any love she had for Atlas out of her,” he said in the interview, Maggin’s unsealed email claims.
It Ends With Us portrays an abusive relationship between the two main characters. The movie is based on the book of the same name by author Colleen Hoover, who wrote the story for her mother, who previously escaped an abusive relationship.
As Baldoni continued the interview, he allegedly tried to get to the root of Ryle’s “motivation.” The actor and director speculated that the character wanted to “love” Atlas “out of” Lily.
“There’s another word we used and I’m sure in your imagination you can go there,” Baldoni apparently said.
The Sony execs have become mixed up in the lawsuit, especially as the documents have been unsealed, with executive vice president Andrea Giannetti seemingly calling Lively a “f***ing terrorist” in an email.
The mixed messaging of the film ahead of its 2024 release had fans raising their eyebrows, wondering whether there was tension between Baldoni and Lively when the cameras stopped rolling. (While Baldoni leaned into the domestic violence aspect of the film, Lively was criticized for focusing on the brighter story lines.)
Lively confirmed there was friction between them in December 2024 when she filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, alleging that the director fostered a “hostile work environment.”
Lively later sued Baldoni for several claims, including sexual harassment. He has continued to deny the allegations and filed a countersuit, which was dismissed last year. The two are set to face off in civil court starting this spring.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
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