The email shows Lively requesting formal recognition for her work as a producer on ‘It Ends With Us’
Blake Lively’s previously undisclosed letter to the Producers Guild of America has emerged as a key document in her ongoing legal dispute with Justin Baldoni.
The email, dated January 25, 2024 and obtained by the Daily Mail, shows Lively requesting formal recognition for her work as a producer on It Ends With Us. In the five-page message, she wrote to “bare her heart” and urged the guild to review her contribution, stating that her off-camera work “means more to [her] than anything [she’s] done” in her “twenty year career.”
“Just a few days ago, I was officially granted the title of Producer, after a year and a half of asking, and working tirelessly to prove the validity of that title,” she wrote. “I’ve produced every moment of this film, from pre-production, through production, into post, and now into worldwide marketing and release.”
Lively acknowledged the significance of her request, describing it as “absurd” due to its timing, but emphasised that without the official title her “hands” had been tied. She added that in her household, which includes her husband Ryan Reynolds, the PGA designation is “the highest honor in film.”
The email included 77 bullet points detailing her involvement in the production, including claims that she “rewrote the script to improve the role of Jennie Bloom after 3 actresses turned in down,” and helped secure wardrobe resources through industry contacts.
The letter has since been cited by Judge Lewis Liman in a decision to dismiss most of Lively’s claims against Baldoni. The judge stated that her own account demonstrated she exercised significant control over the project and should be classified as an independent contractor rather than an employee.
As a result, several claims, including sexual harassment allegations, cannot proceed. However, claims relating to retaliation and breach of contract remain active, with a trial scheduled for May 18.
