Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s co-star Brandon Sklenar is now trying to distance himself from the drama.
The actor, aged 34, known for his role as Atlas Corrigan in the movie “It Ends With Us,” was approached at the airport and asked if he had any words of encouragement for his co-stars from the film.
Brandon replied back: ‘lead with love and compassion’ before walking away to the baggage claim area.
The interesting comments comes over a month after he awkwardly tip-toed around the legal controversy surrounding Blake and Justin after the Oscars.
Initially, Brandon was very open in his support for Blake – specifically in December when the New York Times article came out.
The controversy began in December when Lively, 37, accused Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment on the film set, followed by the alleged orchestration of a smear campaign by Baldoni, which he refutes. The situation has since been ongoing.
Skelnar, who played Lively’s love interest in the film, has been asked about the subject numerous times since it broke out.
The scandal unfolded in December when Lively, 37, made claims of sexual misconduct against Baldoni, 41, during their film project. Baldoni has denied these claims, including any involvement in a smear campaign. The issue has remained unresolved up to the present time.
When the New York Times first broke the complaint in December, Brandon posted a link to the article on his Instagram Stories with a message supporting Blake.
‘For the love of God, read this,’ he wrote, in addition to tagging Lively and adding a red heart emoji next to her name.
In March, the subject came up while Sklenar, 34, was being interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter at the Vanity Fair Oscars party when he was asked how he had been ‘supporting’ Lively.
While admitting the whole ordeal was ‘tough’, Sklenar managed to provide a non-answer about the situation as he pivoted towards the film’s larger message and the impact it has had on audiences.
‘It’s a tough situation,’ he began. ‘I just hope everyone remembers what the movie is about and why we made it in the first place. It’s about love and it’s about supporting women in general and helping people through tough times,’ he said.
‘And that movie’s helped so many people, and I just want people to remember like what it’s about and why we made it. And to kind of keep it on that. That kind of core ethos.’
The issue came up again for Sklenar during an interview with Gayle King where he took a more neutral stance.
King, 70, put Sklenar on the spot on CBS Mornings as she asked: ‘Are you Team Blake or Team Justin?’
Sklenar, who was appearing to plug the second season of Yellowstone prequel, 1923, let out an awkward laugh and said: ‘I’m Team It Ends With Us.’
Asked how he was handling the dueling lawsuits between Lively and Baldoni, Sklenar said: ‘I just want people to remember why we made the movie in the first place and what it stands for, and just keeping the focus on that.
‘I have someone very close to me who’s gone through what [Lively’s character Lily is] going through for a long time and I’ve been on the front lines helping her navigate that space, so that movie meant a lot to me and it means a lot to her.
‘It was one of the reasons that me doing that movie gave her the strength to change her life.
‘It’s unfortunate that things get taken away from what the ethos of that thing is and it gets convoluted.’
Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her in a lawsuit filed in December while Baldoni accused Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, and publicist Leslie Sloane of defamation and extortion in a $400 million suit filed in February.
Baldoni has denied the allegations from Lively, while Lively, Reynolds and Sloane have denied the accusations made by Baldoni.
For astute social media users, the legal conflict was not necessarily a massive surprise as many viewers had suspected a feud was brewing between Lively and Baldoni.
At the time, Sklenar addressed the rumored tension feud, once again urging viewers not to forget the key message of the film.
In his lengthy statement to Instagram, Brandon urged fans not to ‘vilify’ the women in the film and focus on the messages of it.
‘Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves,’ he wrote.
‘Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. It is, in fact, the opposite of the point.
‘What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film. It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.’
The actor went on to say someone close to him has been struggling with a relationship similar to Lily – played by Lively – in the film, and he feels a ‘responsibility’ to bring the story to life and ‘spread the message further.’
‘Prior to my involvement in this film, she had not heard of the book. It was only then that she read it. She credits Colleen’s book and subsequently this film with saving her life,’ he continued.
‘There isn’t a single person involved in the making of this film that was not aware of the responsibility we had in making this. A responsibility to all the women who have experienced generational trauma – domestic abuse – or struggle with looking in the mirror and loving who they see.’
He also called the film a ‘harsh reality check for the men who need to get their s**t together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions,’ adding that it was ‘meant to inspire,’ and also ‘validate,’ ‘recognize’ and ‘instill hope.’
‘Ultimately it’s meant to spread love and awareness,’ Brandon continued in his message.
It is not meant to once again, make the woman the “bad guy,” let’s move beyond that together.
‘All I ask is that before you spread hate on the internet, ask yourself who its helping.
‘Ask yourself if your opinions are based in any fact. Or if you simply want to be a part of something. Let’s be a part of something better together. A part of a new story being written for women and all people everywhere.’
He then concluded the heartfelt post with: ‘Lead with love and please be kind.’
