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Known for his self-deprecating humour, trolling his wife on social media, the unlikely takeover of a struggling Welsh football club and riding high in his career as the anti-hero Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds is one of Hollywood’s untouchables.
As a family man, successful actor, business mogul, friend of Taylor Swift and all around ‘nice guy’ it’s long seemed that nothing could take the sheen off the Vancouver-born star, 48, who is often referred to as the ‘nicest guy in Hollywood’.
But last week the star found himself embroiled in the spiralling It Ends With Us legal battle as he was sued for defamation alongside wife Blake Lively by director and star Justin Baldoni.
Justin, 40, and his publicists claim the actress, 37, cooked up a scheme to kill their careers and discredit them by making ‘false accusations of sexual harassment’ – after she sued the actor before Christmas, claiming he sexually harassed her and created a toxic work environment on the set of the film.
He has since launched a counter-suit, and while much of the focus has been on the allegations it makes against Lively, Justin has made a series of bombshell claims about the her husband – accusing Reynolds of ‘swearing’, ‘berating him in an aggressive tirade’ and trying to interfere with the movie script.
Court papers accuse the A-list couple of using their combined star power to hijack It Ends With Us, while Baldoni also claims that Reynolds contacted his talent agency to suggest they drop the director as a client on the grounds they were working with a ‘sexual predator’.
Ryan Reynolds is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and has been riding the success of his 2024 hit Deadpool & Wolverine – but last week he was sued by Justin Baldoni
Justin, 40, and his publicists claim the actress, 37, cooked up a scheme to kill their careers and discredit them by making ‘false accusations of sexual harassment’
In response to the filing, Lively’s legal team furiously accused Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios of using the ‘abuser playbook’ in his $400 million lawsuit.
‘They are trying to shift the narrative to Ms. Lively by falsely claiming that she seized creative control and alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni. The evidence will show that the cast and others had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer.
While the repsonse did not mention Reynolds by name, the denial that he had anything to do with seizing creative control was clearly implied.
It has been reported that Baldoni’s team have revealed plans to launch a website to bolster his accusations against Lively, and the saga shows no sign of being resolved any time soon.
With Reynolds inextricably linked, he will no doubt be eager to avoid further unflattering claims that could tarnish his image as the golden boy of Hollywood.
Ryan ‘swore’ at Justin over ‘false’ fat-shaming claims
The Gossip Girl actress revealed that she felt ‘fat-shamed’ by Justin stemming from preparation for a scene in which he lifts her into the air, as he asked her weight ahead of filming
The Gossip Girl actress revealed that she felt ‘fat-shamed’ by Justin stemming from preparation for a scene in which he lifts her into the air, as he asked her weight ahead of filming.
But Justin’s new suit claims the said fat-shaming allegations are ‘entirely and categorically false’.
In fact, Justin has alleged that Blake’s husband Ryan was so enraged by the ordeal that he ‘swore’ at him as he declared: ‘How dare you f***ing ask about my wife’s weight? What’s wrong with you?’
In Justin’s suit, he claims: ‘Still during the pre-production phase, Lively and Reynolds raised entirely false allegations of fat-shaming against Baldoni: an accusation that, as evidence will show, was categorically false.
‘Baldoni was summoned to the penthouse by Lively and greeted by Reynolds, who swore at Baldoni and accused him of fat-shaming his wife (‘How dare you f***ing ask about my wife’s weight? What’s wrong with you?”).
‘The confrontation from Reynolds and Lively was so aggressive that Baldoni felt he had no choice but to offer repeated (and completely unwarranted) apologies for what was a good faith and reasonable question to ask of his trainer.’
But Justin’s new suit claims the said fat-shaming allegations are ‘entirely and categorically false’
Justin ‘berated’ by Ryan in ‘aggressive tirade’
As tensions worsened Blake chose to leave set as a result of the ‘toxic’ environment, and drafted a list of requirements for her return.
As part of her Return to Production Demands, a meeting was held at their New York penthouse – where and Blake brought along Ryan as her chosen ‘representative’.
Justin claims that what ensued was an ‘aggressive tirade’ from Ryan as he and Blake read out a list of the grievances the actress had.
The director said he was ‘berated’ by the Deadpool actor, something the Jane The Virgin star described as ‘traumatic.
In the suit, the plaintiffs write: ‘Reynolds and Lively blindsided the rest of the group with a list of grievances, read aloud by Lively, that were as troubling as they were fictional.
‘Reynolds then launched into an aggressive tirade, berating Baldoni in what Baldoni later described as a ‘traumatic’ encounter. As Baldoni later said, he had never been spoken to like that in his life.’
Justin claims that what ensued was an ‘aggressive tirade’ from Ryan as he and Blake read out a list of the grievances the actress had
Ryan ‘tried to get ‘sexual predator’ Justin dropped from talent agency’
In another bombshell claim, Just alleges he got wind that Ryan had been in touch with his talent agency.
Justin claims The Proposal actor approached an executive at William Morris Endeavor (WME) agency to share his ‘deep disdain’ for the director.
Ryan is alleged to have suggested the agency drop Justin as a client on the basis they were working with, in his words, a ‘sexual predator’.
The lawsuit reads: ‘Baldoni later received word that, during the premiere of his movie Deadpool & Wolverine, Reynolds approached Baldoni’s agency, namely, an executive at WME, and expressed his deep disdain for Baldoni, suggesting the agency was working with a ‘sexual predator’ (a phrase that uncoincidentally later appeared in the press) and, at a later date, demanded that the agent ‘drop’ Baldoni.’
In another bombshell claim, Just alleges he got wind that Ryan had been in touch with his talent agency and called him a ‘sexual predator’
Film staff replaced with Deadpool team
Justin has also accused Blake of forcing out the editors and composer that he had hired, and then replacing them with people of her own choosing – specifically, professionals who had recently worked with Ryan.
‘Ultimately, Lively replaced the Film’s editors with her own choice: an editor often used by Reynolds, and the Film’s editors had to be let go,’ his suit claims.
‘She also replaced the Film’s award-winning composer with composers from Reynolds’ recent project – even though the Film’s composer had already finished the score, with an orchestra (which is costly).’
The currently credited composers on It Ends With Us are Rob Simonsen – who worked on Reynolds’ smash hit 2024 summer blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine – and Duncan Blickenstaff.
Justin has also accused Blake of forcing out the editors and composer that he had hired, and then replacing them with people of her own choosing – specifically, professionals who had recently worked with Ryan
Hours-long meeting with ‘dragons’ Ryan and ‘Taylor Swift’
In his lawsuit, Justin claims that Blake at one point sent him a rewritten version of a rooftop scene that occurred between their two characters.
He insists that he expressed only ‘extremely mild resistance’ to her changes, but that Blake was ‘seemingly stung’ by his response and enlisted the help of husband Ryan and a ‘megacelebrity friend’ in order to get her way.
After news of the legal filing broke, the ‘megacelebrity’ was widely assumed to have been Blake’s best friend Taylor Swift.
The suit claimed that a meeting occurred during which ‘Lively summoned Baldoni to her New York penthouse where Baldoni was greeted by Ryan Reynolds, who launched into enthusiastic praise for Lively’s version of the scene.
‘Hours later, as the meeting was ending, a famous, and famously close, friend of Reynolds and Lively, walked into the room and similarly began praising Lively’s script. Baldoni understood the subtext: he needed to comply with Lively’s direction for the script,’ the legal documents alleged further.
When Justin texted Blake that he ‘liked her pages and hadn’t needed Reynolds and her megacelebrity friend to pressure him,’ he allegedly received a reply in which Blake referred to Ryan and Taylor as her ‘dragons.’
After news of the legal filing broke, the ‘megacelebrity’ was widely assumed to have been Blake’s best friend Taylor Swift (Seen with Ryan)
Secret re-writing of the script
During the ‘hours-long’ meeting with Ryan and Taylor, Blake is alleged to have said she rewrote the scene in question.
But in August, almost a year after the exchange, at the New York City premiere, Blake revealed that Ryan had in fact been the one to make changes.
Blake proudly shared that her husband helped write the ‘iconic rooftop scene’ – a fact that even the screenwriter wasn’t aware of.
‘My husband actually wrote it. Nobody knows that but you now,’ Blake said. ‘We help each other. He works on everything I do; I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his.’
Meanwhile, the film’s screenwriter, Christy Hall, appeared baffled by the claim, and shared she wasn’t aware Ryan contributed to the dialogue.
Justin addressed the reveal in his lawsuit, which read: ‘This startling revelation directly contradicted Lively’s previous insistence that she had written the scene—and certainly casts Reynolds’ high praise for the rewritten scene in a different light.
The first Deadpool film was a roaring success, but confusion brewed when its director, Tim Miller (left), dropped out ahead of the sequel
‘The film’s credited screenwriter, when asked about the claim that Reynolds had written the scene, graciously responded, “So if I’m being told that Ryan wrote that, then great, how wonderful.” She went on to acknowledge, “There were a few little flourishes that I did not write . . . and if those flourishes came from Ryan, I think that’s wonderful.”
‘This was also the first time that Plaintiffs learned that Reynolds—who had no formal role whatsoever in the Film’s production—had made unauthorized changes to the script in secret. Baldoni, equally blindsided by this news, which he discovered in real time during a recorded interview with Access Hollywood, reacted by also praising Reynolds, so as not to harm Lively, Reynolds (who apparently wrote the scene, and possibly others, during the WGA strike), or the Film.’
Blake ‘copying Ryan’s forcing out of Deadpool director’
The first Deadpool film was a roaring success, but confusion brewed when its director, Tim Miller, dropped out ahead of the sequel.
Tim had not actually signed on to direct the sequel yet, but was expected to take the job after the development process for the script was complete. It was later reported that ‘creative differences’ with Ryan resulted in Tim dropping out of the project altogether.
The exit drew the attention of Justin’s attorney Bryan Freedman as he geared up to sue, and he sent a January 7 notice to Blake and Ryan urging them to ‘preserve all relevant documents and data’ in relation to the defection from the franchise.
In the lawsuit, Justin accuses Blake of trying to copy Ryan’s tactics in order to ‘seize power and control’ – blasting the pair ‘entitled’.
It said: ‘Lively may have felt driven to match her star husband Ryan Reynolds, who is widely reported to have insisted on taking so much control over the Film “Deadpool 2” that the director, Tim Miller, left the production.
‘Seeing the fame and success that Reynolds commanded, she may have adopted his oft-repeated pattern wholesale to seize her own power and control.
‘Following his lead, and evidenced by many statements by Lively that he is involved in every project she works on and vice versa, Lively and Reynolds, accustomed to getting their way, perhaps felt entitled.’
Ryan and Blake demand public apology
As an ‘avalanche of negative media coverage’ careened down on Blake, she and Ryan allegedly demanded that Justin issue a public apology statement that they had put together ‘in order to deflect’ from her own poor publicity.
‘Reynolds and Lively drafted a statement and demanded that Baldoni, Wayfarer, and Heath issue that statement, requiring them to apologize to the public and fall on their sword, despite having done nothing wrong – or else the ‘gloves would come off,” the lawsuit alleges.
They supposedly made the demand via their talent agency William Morris Endeavor, which also represented Justin – until he was unceremoniously dropped in the wake of Blake’s first sexual harassment complaint against him.
‘Multiple WME executives acknowledged that in their experience, Lively and Reynolds’ threats were not to be taken lightly, though admitting to false, vague, and unspecified ‘mistakes’ would be tantamount to admitting to career-ending misconduct,’ Baldoni’s lawsuit states.
‘Baldoni, Wayfarer, and Heath refused to apologize for sins they had never committed. They took a stand, knowing full well that Lively and Reynolds would bring the full might of their celebrity artillery against them. And that is precisely what happened.’
