SAG-AFTRA, the labor union that represents the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, has issued a statement in support of Blake Lively following her complaint against director Justin Baldoni.
What did SAG-AFTRA say?
In a statement to THR, SAG-AFTRA starts off by noting the “startling and troubling” allegations made against Baldoni, and said that Lively had “every right” to raise any issue she had while on set. The union went on to applaud the actress for doing so, commending it as an “important step” that helps keep everyone safe on set.
“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’s statement said. “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.”
SAG-AFTRA’s statement mirrors other actors who have come forward to support Lively following the complaint she made.
This past week, Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni alleging him of sexual harassment and of coordinating an effort to destroy her reputation. In Lively’s claims, she states that things got so bad during filming that an all-hands-on-deck meeting was called due to her claims of a hostile work environment. During the meeting, Lively asked that Baldoni stop showing her nude videos or images of women, that he stop mentioning his pornography addiction to her, that Baldoni stop discussing sexual experiences in front of her, and that he also stop mentioning Lively’s weight.
The complaint also claims that an agreement was made between production company Wayfarer Studios and the cast, in which the promotion of the movie would focus “more on [Lively’s character’s] strength and resilience as opposed to describing the film as a story about domestic violence.” However, Lively claims that Baldoni would renege on that and instead spoke in interviews about the film’s serious story.
Lively also claimed that Baldoni and his PR manager, Melissa Nathan, discussed ways in which to start a social media campaign to harm her reputation. The filing by Lively includes 22 pages of texts between Baldoni’s publicist and Nathan, in which they discuss wanting to have Lively “buried.”
(via: The Hollywood Reporter)
