SAG-AFTRA, the union representing roughly 160,000 actors in Hollywood, is voicing its support of Blake Lively after she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director on “It Ends With Us.”
“These are startling and troubling allegations. Employees have every right to raise issues of concern or to file complaints. Retaliation for reporting misconduct or inappropriate behavior is illegal and wrong,” the organization said in a statement. “We applaud Blake Lively’s courage in speaking out on issues of retaliation and harassment and for her request to have an intimacy coordinator for all scenes with nudity or sexual content. This is an important step that helps ensure a safe set.”
Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that Lively filed a complaint that accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, fostering a toxic work environment and trying to tarnish her reputation with a targeted smear campaign on social media. Lively alleges that Baldoni’s behavior caused her and her family “severe emotional harm.” Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman called Lively’s complaint “shameful” and full of “categorically false accusations.”
“We all have a right to be treated with dignity and respect on the job and to work in an environment free of harassment, discrimination and retaliation,” SAG-AFTRA’s statement continues. “We urge anyone who may be experiencing abusive conduct to report such violations on our SAG-AFTRA Safe Place app and to their employer.”
More to come…