A recently unsealed voice message from Blake Lively to Justin Baldoni, sent on February 8, 2023, has surfaced amidst Lively's ongoing legal proceedings related to the film It Ends With Us. The message, which runs approximately four minutes, reveals Lively expressing feelings of overwhelm and stress related to her work schedule shortly after giving birth to her fourth child with husband Ryan Reynolds.
In the recording, Lively begins by stating her intention to share something with Baldoni, prefacing it as "premature" and emphasizing the confidential nature of the conversation. "Hey. I hope you're so well. Just wanted to connect just to put something on your radar. So, between us. Like, this is so premature for me to even share this with you. All good, all good stuff. Headline is great, good, great stuff," Lively said. She explains that she was scheduled to film another project before It Ends With Us, and while she intended to honor her commitment, it would only leave her with a one-week break between the two shoots.
Lively voiced concerns about the timeline, stating, "Shooting in April, shooting in March is just too soon after having a baby and not sleeping and wanting to be in my best shape". She also mentioned not having a baby nurse at the time. Furthermore, Lively brought up the possibility of adjusting the production timeline, admitting that she had "selfish reasons" for doing so and that spending a month apart from Reynolds would be difficult, noting that the longest they had ever been apart was less than two weeks. "Obviously, there's selfish reasons I'm telling you this,” Lively said. “If by chance you're like, 'Oh, my God, if I could go two weeks earlier, that would actually be great,' then amazing".
According to Just Jared, Lively also referenced another movie she was involved in, Proxy, and noted that Reynolds had encouraged her to speak with Baldoni about her concerns. Lively reportedly said, "I'm talking to you as a friend at this point more than anything". She filmed Proxy between March and May 2023 and some of It Ends With Us in May and June 2023, before the writers strike. Filming for It Ends With Us wrapped up in 2024.
The unsealing of this voice message is part of a larger legal battle surrounding It Ends With Us. Last week, hundreds of court documents, including text messages, were ordered to be unsealed. Previously, a voice memo that Baldoni sent to Lively was also leaked.
Ryan Reynolds has publicly supported his wife amidst the legal proceedings. A representative for Reynolds told Puck News that Reynolds "saw his wife fighting daily to stand up against sexual harassment in a private and respectful way, only to face retaliation for doing so". Reynolds reportedly feels he "wasn't angry enough" and "passionately believes in and will stand up for the basic right to a safe workplace free of harassment and retaliation for his wife and others. Then, now and always".
