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Justin Baldoni has hired a PR crisis team amid the drama surrounding “It Ends With Us.”
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The alleged dispute between the actor and his co-actress Blake Lively has made headlines in recent weeks.
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The 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.
Several factors contributed to the film’s success, but rumors of an off-screen feud between Lively and her co-star and director Baldoni probably didn’t hurt it.
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 tries to salvage her reputation, Baldoni navigates the changing tides of public opinion by using a trick from the celebrity scandal playbook: He hires a PR crisis team.
The actor and director, who rose to fame for his starring role in The CW’s “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.”
After fans noticed that there was no contact between the two during the film’s promotional tour this month, social media sleuths began investigating what might be behind it 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 and that two different cuts of the film were created.
Schiffer said Baldoni would have to fill in the gaps for his PR team and confirm or deny the rumors so they had the full picture.
“When you have that, you can come up with a battle plan,” he said. “A big part of that is making sure you don’t put issues on the agenda that can explode.”
“But if things go well, it can be beneficial to the client to let the truth ‘leak’ if it is not already known,” Schiffer added.
Some speculated that journalist Kjersti Flaa may have been involved in a smear campaign against Lively after Flaa uploaded an interview with the actor to YouTube in 2016 and titled it “The Blake Lively Interview That Made Me Want to Quit My Job.”
In the viral interview, Lively was seen acting hostile towards the reporter after she congratulated the star on her pregnancy.
Flaa told the Daily Mail she shared the footage because “it’s time people who behave badly in Hollywood or anywhere else are held accountable for it. That’s not OK, even if you’re rich and famous.”
Schiffer said Baldoni was “given a gift because of the disturbing elements that have emerged” regarding the “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 Baldoni’s actions have already helped him come across as a down-to-earth person who has the best interests of those who can identify with the film in mind.
In recent social media posts, Baldoni was seen with his family, talking about what inspired him to act, and surprising his fans at film screenings across the United States.
He has since spoken very positively about Lively in interviews and drawn attention to “all the women we made this film for.”
Many have pointed out that Baldoni’s crisis team represented Johnny Depp during his high-profile court battle against Amber Heard, but Balyk said that was probably more to do with Baldoni needing a heavyweight to fight for him, as Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds undoubtedly 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.
Schiffer said Baldoni had to “let things take their course.”
“Ultimately, Justin made a successful movie. Right now the focus is not on him, but on Blake and her choices, and I suggest he tries to leave it at that,” he said.
Read the original article on Business Insider
