Blake Lively reportedly reached out to Ben Affleck in May 2024, seeking his feedback on her personal edit of the film “It Ends With Us” amid creative conflicts with director Justin Baldoni. Court documents obtained by Page Six revealed an email in which Lively described the production as her “most upsetting experience ever on a movie,” comparing the behind-the-scenes chaos to documentaries like “Wild Wild Country” and “Fyre Festival.”
She claimed Baldoni—who starred in, directed, and helped finance the project—created turmoil, forcing her to rewrite the script and unofficially direct portions of the film. Lively called Baldoni a “chaotic clown” and alleged his team operated “like a cult.” She mentioned being in a tight editing race against Baldoni, with only 10 days to finalize her vision versus his months-long edit.
Lively requested Affleck watch her cut and share notes, extending the invitation to his then-wife Jennifer Lopez and his three children (with Jennifer Garner), cautioning about the film’s domestic violence themes. She praised Lopez’s work and noted Ryan Reynolds had similarly asked Matt Damon to review the film.
This email emerged as part of Lively’s deposition ahead of her May 2025 sexual harassment trial against Baldoni. She had sued him in December 2024, accusing him of on-set misconduct—a claim Baldoni denied before countersuing Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist for defamation. His $400 million countersuit was dismissed in June 2025.