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Ryan Reynolds seemingly took a swipe at Justin Baldoni during his appearance at the National Board of Review Annual Awards Gala, subtly addressing the ongoing legal drama surrounding his wife, Blake Lively.
While presenting the Best Film of the Year award, Reynolds commented that women in the industry are often held to impossible standards. This remark appeared to echo the tension between Lively and Baldoni following her accusations of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment during the filming of ‘It Ends With Us.’
Ryan Reynolds presents best film to #WickedMovie at the National Board of Review Awards pic.twitter.com/hAQcwBAEHZ
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 8, 2025
Ryan Reynolds’ Veiled Dig at Justin Baldoni
According to People Magazine, Reynolds took to the stage at Cipriani 42nd Street and told the audience, “Wicked is indeed wicked; it dares to center on two powerful women. It examines a nuanced, complex relationship which has resonated with people for over two decades on stage.”
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He added, “Stories about women seem to be held to a different set of standards, and that is to say that they’re often held to the standards women are held to in life. You must be perfect. You must must hide your strength. You must shape-shift or placate.”
He continued: “But Donna Langley and Universal, they know where and with whom to place their trust, and it paid off in this film.”
Blake Lively’s Legal Battle with Justin Baldoni
Lively, who starred in the film with Baldoni, claims that he improvised unwanted intimate scenes and fostered a toxic atmosphere on set, which led to a lawsuit accusing him of harassment.
The legal battle escalated when Baldoni’s crisis PR team was accused of trying to tarnish Lively’s reputation. The actor filed his own libel lawsuit against The New York Times for reporting on the allegations.
Deadpool’s Possible Nod to Justin Baldoni
Meanwhile, Reynolds’ comments and a potential jab in Deadpool & Wolverine, in which a character named “Nicepool” resembled Baldoni with a man bun and made references to Lively’s character, raised questions about a deeper feud.
The more I learn about Nicepool’s character, the more evident it becomes that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were mocking Justin Baldoni in the Deadpool & Wolverine movie. Here are all the scenes where Nicepool is imitating Justin Baldoni 🧵
(1) In this scene, Nicepool,… pic.twitter.com/gdQpCvBvcH
— The Spiritual Shift (@spiritualshift_) January 8, 2025
The character’s dialogue, which seemed to mock Baldoni’s feminist stance, only fueled the speculation that Reynolds was using his creative control in the Deadpool franchise to take a personal shot at the actor.
“What Ryan Reynolds has seemingly done is use his power and influence … on Deadpool and to make fun of Justin Baldoni,” Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, said about a character named Nicepool on ‘The Megyn Kelly Show.
He continued, “What you don’t do is mock the person and turn it into a joke,” adding that the proper protocol for addressing the serious situation would be to “file HR complaints [and] raise the issue and follow a legal process.”
The lawyer added, “If someone is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of it – it’s a serious issue.”
As the legal and public drama intensifies, both Reynolds and Lively continue to navigate the fallout from the accusations, with Lively’s lawsuit detailing claims of body-shaming and retaliation, all of which Baldoni has denied.
The controversy has led to professional consequences for Baldoni, including his agency dropping him, while Reynolds and Lively’s involvement in the situation seems to keep their names in the headlines.
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News.
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