Intimacy Coordinator Shares Discovery After ‘It Ends With Us’ Video Leak

Leaked behind-the-scenes footage from the set of "It Ends With Us" is fueling the escalating legal battle between the film’s star, Blake Lively, and her director and co-star, Justin Baldoni. The video, depicting a seemingly harmless slow-dance scene, has become a focal point in the feud, with both parties using it to support their opposing claims.

After the video went viral, an intimacy coordinator has weighed in on the subject, sharing her thoughts on the clip featuring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.

The leaked footage, filmed in May 2023, captures three takes of a pivotal scene from "It Ends With Us," an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel. The scene shows Lively and Baldoni’s characters, Lily and Ryle, slow dancing in a bar, described in the script as “completely in their own world.” Baldoni’s team contends that the video demonstrates professionalism on set and challenges the validity of Lively’s allegations.

To provide insight into the leaked video, The Hollywood Reporter consulted Mia Schachter, an experienced intimacy coordinator who has worked on projects such as Apple TV+’s "Lessons in Chemistry," HBO’s "Insecure," and FX’s "American Crime Story." Schachter reviewed the footage and offered their perspective on the dynamics and protocols displayed during the scene.

One of the first things that Schachter noticed was "that he is trying to kiss her, and they clearly haven’t discussed that ahead of time, and she keeps pulling away and clearly doesn’t want to do that."

She also made it clear that normally, if two actors were going to shoot a scene where characters are kissing, an intimacy coordinator would discuss it beforehand. "But there’s two main reasons why people bring on an intimacy coordinator," she added.

"Either simulated sex or nudity. Anything else that could be considered intimate, we’re not always present or required. In a scene like this, it’s really common that you wouldn’t bring on an intimacy coordinator because there’s no simulated sex or nudity, and there’s not even kissing written into the scene. We saw that from that script excerpt. I know that there were two intimacy coordinators credited on this film, but it doesn’t surprise me at all that they wouldn’t have had an intimacy coordinator present for this scene. An intimacy coordinator would have been very clear: 'We’re not doing any kissing. This is the kind of touch that is on the table. Nothing else is, we’re not going to bring anything into the scene that we haven’t discussed prior.'"

Schachter later discussed what the power dynamic is between the two actors, reminding viewers that "even though she’s Blake Lively and can say no and isn’t going to be fired for speaking her mind the way that somebody else might fear," Lively does still have to continue working with him "and keep the peace and play nice."

"I can just see her trying to stay lighthearted and in good spirits about it and not upset him or anybody, and not waste anybody’s time," she told THR. "But of course, she is trapped between a rock and a hard place. I can see her appeasing him and trying to keep a smile on her face."

She did say that Baldoni is in charge, "but it can be very murky."

"Obviously, she’s the star, the household name on the project," she said. "I didn’t know who he was until this movie, but I have known who she is for many years, and so she’s not powerless. I would say she has a significant amount of power here. But regardless, he is the director and she’s supposed to take direction from him. I was sort of surprised that this is the clip that his team leaked."

While Baldoni’s team sees the leaked clip as vindicating of him, Schachter sees "the opposite," explaining that "when someone has [Lively’s] level of fame and recognition, they do have a certain amount of power, but there’s always the actor-director relationship, and the director’s in charge."

In regard to flagging the scene, Schachter admits she wouldn't have "based on what that excerpt says of the scene description. They’re just slow dancing. There’s not any mention of any kind of physical intimacy."

"If I were hearing what’s in this clip, none of it stands out to me as something where I would need to intervene," she added. "I even thought it was kind of sweet that they were talking about their own real-life partners. It was kind of awkward, but it was not inappropriate. And it was sort of reminding each other, we have lives outside of this."

However, she explained that if she overheard someone making comments like the ones described in Lively’s lawsuit—such as jokes about sensitive topics—she would feel compelled to step in.

“But that even puts an intimacy coordinator in a really difficult position because he is also the director,” she noted. "Who do you go to? If you’re afraid that he has an ego that would lead him to have any kind of reaction that could stall shooting, then you become the villain. I would be afraid to be fired, quite honestly."

As the legal battle continues, both parties stand firm in their respective narratives, but the leaked footage has the potential to significantly influence public opinion and play a key role in determining the outcome of this heated case.