In Hollywood, history often unfolds in chaos, but who ends up on the right side of it is a matter of timing. One year ago, audiences awaited Blake Lively’s grand return. Little did they know it would spiral into controversy. Her explosive fallout with Justin Baldoni over It Ends With Us has turned into a headline-fueled war. Allegations, media manipulation, and power struggles continue to escalate. And now, once again, the saga grows deeper, with more damning receipt.

Blake Lively’s intimate scene power play just hit the group chat, unsealed texts from the editor dropped like popcorn kernels, and the drama just morphed into something messier.

As It Ends With Us drama raced toward completion, a newly unsealed text exchange revealed editor Robb Sullivan’s blunt reaction to Blake Lively’s control over the film’s intimate scenes. “SMH,” he wrote to co-editor Oona Flaherty, referring to Lively’s final-cut approval, not just for her own s-- scenes, but also those involving her character’s teenage version, as per Business Insider. The conversation, dated months before the 2024 release, began with celebration over a PG-13 rating but quickly turned into a quiet critique of Lively’s behind-the-scenes power play.

"Woot!" texted Oona Flaherty, followed by Robb Sullivan’s celebratory reply: "Woo hoo," and a comment that he would drink to that, although he was planning to drink anyway. The upbeat exchange contrasts sharply with the lawsuit that followed. Blake Lively’s 163-page legal filing accuses Justin Baldoni of s----- harassment, retaliation, and launching a covert social media smear campaign targeting her and her lifestyle brand. Adding to the controversy, the intimacy coordinator later spoke out about Lively’s visible discomfort during scenes involving Baldoni.

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Tensions were already simmering, but it took an intimacy coordinator pointing out Blake Lively's on-camera discomfort to throw gasoline on the fire, and suddenly, the behind-the-scenes drama hit a new nerve.

Justin Baldoni’s legal team submitted a behind-the-scenes slow-dance clip from It Ends With Us to The Daily Mail, aiming to counter serious claims made by Blake Lively. Baldoni, whose $400 million countersuit has since been dismissed, appeared to use the footage as a last-ditch defense. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, intimacy coordinator Mia Schachter described the May 2023 video as disturbing, stating that Lively’s body language reads as if “she is trapped,” rather than portraying a character in control.

Mia Schachter noted that Blake Lively’s repeated pullbacks in the scene strongly suggested no prior discussion about the kiss with Justin Baldoni, something typically standard when intimacy coordinators are involved. Although such coordinators usually oversee more explicit scenes, Schachter explained that conversations around kissing are still expected. Their absence here, she implied, was noticeable. What began as a creative disagreement now spirals into something far murkier, layered with tension, contradictions, and now, even more screenshots. 

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What are your thoughts on the newly revealed texts about Blake Lively’s scene control? Drop your take in the comments below.