Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni both believe intimacy coordinators were “critical” while filming “It Ends With Us.”
Prior to TMZ’s report on Wednesday that the actress felt her co-star lingered too long in an onscreen kiss, the pair spoke about their intimate scenes in separate interviews.
Baldoni, for his part, explained to Harper’s Baazar India earlier this month that “there was no way [to] … do this movie without intimacy coordinators.”
He noted, “It was so important to have them on set — not just so that we could all feel safe, but because they were also incredible collaborators with wonderful ideas that really elevated the film.
“Having them on set and always in my eye line was invaluable because at any point I could look to one of them for a thumbs up, or we’d work on another approach together,” the “Jane the Virgin” alum continued, calling them an “important and integral” part of the film.
As for Lively, she called their involvement “critical for everyone’s safety” while speaking to Digital Spy on Saturday.
“You coordinate stunts, you coordinate dancing” the 36-year-old said over the weekend. “It is choreography.”
The “Gossip Girl” alum slammed the “ridiculous” notion that cast members should know “what happens here, here and here” in stunts and dances but be expected to “just go put [their] bodies together and [their] mouths and whatever.”
The “It Ends With Us” leads have faced rampant feud rumors since the movie, which is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 book of the same name, premiered last week.
Speculation swirled following the New York City premiere on Aug. 6 when Baldoni and Lively walked the red carpet with their respective partners and neglected to take a single photo together.
Fans subsequently pointed out that Baldoni conducted all of his press interviews alone, while Lively teamed up with Jenny Slate, Brandon Sklenar and multiple co-stars to promote the film.
“None of the cast enjoyed working with Justin,” an industry source claimed to Page Six on Friday. “They certainly didn’t talk to him at the premiere.”
The insider noted that Baldoni allegedly made Lively feel “uncomfortable” about her postpartum body after welcoming her and Ryan Reynolds fourth baby — which TMZ’s source elaborated on.
The outlet reported that Lively felt “fat-shamed” by her co-star, who allegedly asked his trainer how much she weighed and how to avoid worsening his back issues when lifting her.
Lively and Baldoni, who recently hired a crisis PR manager, have yet to respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
