Blake Lively’s backlash is a ‘gift’ to Justin Baldoni amid ‘It Ends With Us’ feud

• Justin Baldoni has put together a PR crisis team in the wake of the drama surrounding “It Ends With Us.”
• The alleged dispute between the actor and his co-actress Blake Lively has made headlines in recent weeks.
• The recent public backlash against Lively was “a gift” for Baldoni, a PR expert told BI.

“It Ends With Us,” the new film starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, quickly became a box office hit, grossing surpassed $200 million worldwide since its release earlier this month.

While there are several reasons for the film’s success, one that further increased interest may be the alleged feud brewing off-camera between the lead actress and her co-star/director Baldoni.

The alleged dispute has made headlines in recent weeks and led to a reassessment of Lively’s past, with many criticizing the star’s past behavior.

But while Lively now tries to salvage her reputation, Baldoni is navigating the changing tides of public opinion with a move straight out of the celebrity scandal handbook: He hired a PR crisis team.

The actor and director, who rose to fame through his leading role in the sitcom “Jane the Virgin,” has sought the help of experienced PR executive Melissa Nathan, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“This was the right move for him,” Megan Balyk, PR expert and vice president of Jive PR + Digital, told Business Insider. “We always recommend using a reputation management firm before you need one.”

“I think this shows us that Justin doesn’t trust Blake and believes she’s going to try to control the story. He’s trying to make sure this outcome doesn’t negatively impact his career,” Balyk added.

Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, said one of the first tasks of Baldoni and his new crisis team would likely have been to reveal “what was really going on behind the scenes.”

This is not yet fully clear to the public.

It wasn’t until people noticed that the two hadn’t been in contact with each other during the film’s promotional tour this month that they started to investigate the incidents and came up with a number of wild theories.

TMZ and Page Six have since reported tensions on the set of the film, while anonymous sources told the Hollywood Reporter that further problems arose in post-production when two different cuts of the film were released.

Baldoni must fill in the gaps with his PR team, confirm or deny the rumors and give his team the full picture, Schiffer said.

“When you have that, you can come up with a battle plan,” he continued. “A big part of that is making sure you don’t push problems to the extreme that can explode.”

“But when things go well, it can be beneficial to the client to ‘leak’ the truth if it is not already known,” Schiffer added.

There was speculation online that journalist Kjersti Flaa may have been involved in a smear campaign against Lively after she re-uploaded a 2016 interview with the actor to YouTube and titled it “The Blake Lively Interview That Made Me Want to Quit My Job.”

In the now viral interview, Lively was seen acting hostile towards the reporter after she congratulated the star on her pregnancy.

Speaking to MailOnline, Flaa explained why she was so keen to share the footage: “It’s time that people who behave badly in Hollywood or anywhere else are held accountable for it. It’s not OK, even if you’re rich and famous.”

There is no indication that the sudden public appeal to Lively is a sign that Baldoni’s crisis team is in action.

Instead, according to Schiffer, Baldoni was given “a gift because of the disturbing elements that emerged” in connection with the former “Gossip Girl” star.

“The last thing Justin wants is to draw attention back to himself,” he said.

“The rule is: When the other side destroys itself because of bad decisions, you don’t change the subject. You let it happen,” he added.

Balyk said that the actions Baldoni has already taken have given him the image of a down-to-earth person who has the welfare of those who can identify with the film in mind.

In recent social media posts, he talks to his family about what inspired him to act and surprises his fans at film screenings across the US.

He has since spoken very positively about Lively in interviews and drawn attention to “all the women we made this film for.”

While there has been much talk about the fact that Baldoni’s new crisis team had already represented Johnny Depp during his high-profile court battle against Amber Heard, Balyk said that this likely had more to do with Baldoni needing a heavyweight to fight for him, as Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds likely have an “equally strong PR team that is probably on standby.”

“Although Melissa Nathan has handled controversial cases such as the trial of Johnny Depp, her expertise is unparalleled in the entertainment industry. This is necessary considering that one of Hollywood’s most powerful couples is directly involved in the film,” she said.

When asked how Baldoni should proceed, Schiffer said he simply had to let things take their course.

“Ultimately, Justin made a successful film. Right now the focus is not on him, but on Blake and her choices, and I suggest he tries to keep that,” he added.

Source: Business Insider