“It smells good” - It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively feature in new behind-the-scenes video"

The legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni related to the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us just took a whole new turn with the release of unreleased, raw behind-the-scenes footage.

The footage, provided exclusively to TMZ by Baldoni’s team, shows the two leads shooting a montage of their characters slow dancing. The video has fueled a renewed discussion of the s*xual harassment and unprofessional conduct allegations that Lively has leveled against Baldoni.

The clip in question, approximately 10 minutes long, depicts a moment in which Lively’s and Baldoni’s characters, known as Lily and Ryle, share a romantic moment while slow dancing. Baldoni’s lawyers have said the video was made public to show the interactions between the two were consensual and professional.

The clip features Lively and Baldoni breaking characters and cracking jokes about things like Baldoni’s nose and Lively’s spray tan. At one point, Baldoni says:

“It smells good,” after Lively mentions she could get spray tan on him.

According to People magazine, the video also captures physical closeness, which Justin Baldoni’s team states was needed as part of the scene. But Lively’s lawyers maintain that such moments were unscripted and spontaneous on Baldoni’s end, without any consent from Lively’s side.

In December 2024, Blake Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Justin Baldoni of creating a hostile work environment with disturbing and inappropriate behavior. One of her claims was an incident during the shooting of the slow-dance scene, in which Baldoni leaned forward and dragged his lips down her neck and said:"It smells so good.” Blake Lively’s legal team says this and other moments of unchoreographed physical contact caused her trauma and extreme anxiety.

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More about Justin Baldoni’s defense and Blake Lively’s response

Baldoni’s countersuit, which was filed in January, alleges defamation and argues that Lively’s claims were part of a retaliatory smear campaign.

According to TMZ, his lawyers say that the newly released footage shows both Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively were professional on set, and that there is no evidence of harassment. Baldoni’s lawyers have alleged that Blake Lively fabricated allegations to harm his reputation and career.

The footage contains exchanges in which Lively seems to joke that Baldoni should get plastic surgery on his nose, which Baldoni’s team says contradicts her depiction of him as an aggressor. They also note that the interactions shown in the video were recorded using microphones, countering Lively’s assertion that the scene was filmed soundlessly.

Blake Lively’s legal representatives have responded against the release of the footage, describing it as an “unethical attempt to manipulate the public” and “a continuation of harassment.”

Her legal team described how Baldoni allegedly kissed her forehead, rubbed his face on her neck, and flicked her lip with his thumb. These actions which can be seen in the video, they argue, were not within the scripted scene and reflect an abuse of power.