Blake Lively's comments about 'asserting herself' on movie sets have resurfaced

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been locked in an ongoing legal feud since late last year. The Gossip Girl alumni first filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star in December, accusing the actor and director of sexual harassment, toxic working conditions and orchestrating a smear campaign against her, which he denies. It was quickly followed by a number of legal filings from Justin, including a defamation countersuitand claims that Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, hijacked the film based on Colleen Hoover's best-selling book.

In the wake of their legal battle, more lawsuits have been filed by those who have been implicated in the feud and Blake and Justin are reportedly expected to go to trial in March 2026.

However, amidst the It Ends With Us legal battle, a clip of Blake discussing how she operates on movie sets has resurfaced and is now going viral. During a talk at the Forbes Power Women's Summit in 2022, Blake explained that some of the directors she has worked with have 'resented' her behaviour as she 'needs authorship' on set, and wants to do more than 'just be the actor'. She said: "When I went into meetings, I would just seem like I’m just there to be the actor and ready to get the gig. I wouldn’t reveal that I actually need to have authorship in order to feel fulfilled. So I think that for them, sometimes that might have felt like a rug-pull because you’re like, you’re trying to assert yourself into something that we didn’t hire you to do."

Expanding on how she handled those situations in the video, she continued: "It’s just as important to say, 'OK, um, I believe in this and that’s why I’m standing up for it and that’s why I’m not being difficult.' And then there are other moments to go, 'Am I the a-hole in the room?' It’s about being up front about knowing what you actually need versus... trying to get the job and then, you know, once you’re in it, sort of revealing the scope of your needs to be, you know, fulfilled."

Blake has not yet commented on the video.

It isn't the first time that old interviews of Blake have resurfaced in recent months, as the actress faced heavy online backlash last summer during the It Ends With Us press tour. However, the cast were publicly supportive of Blake and a number of her friends and family members spoke out on her behalf, including author Colleen Hoover.