“Ms Lively felt the selection of Mr Baldoni’s friend for this intimate role, in which the actor’s face and hands were in close proximity to her nearly nude genitalia for a birth scene, was invasive and humiliating.”

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At one point, Lively claims, lead producer Jamey Heath showed her a video “of a fully nude woman with her legs spread apart”. At first she thought this was a piece of pornography, and she asked Heath to stop the video. He then explained that it was of his own wife giving birth.

“Ms Lively was alarmed and asked Mr Heath if his wife knew he was sharing the video, to which he replied, ‘She isn’t weird about this stuff,’ as if Ms Lively was weird for not welcoming it.”

The claims are among many allegations made by Lively of inappropriate and allegedly harassing conduct on the set.

She is seeking damages on grounds including sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and interference with economic prospects.

Lively claims Baldoni and others associated with production company Wayfarer deliberately sought to smear her reputation at the time of the film’s release, anticipating that her issues with its production would become known.

As first reported by The New York Times at the weekend, Wayfarer employed a public relations firm to help sway public sentiment against Lively and towards Baldoni.

Their efforts were so successful that even they were surprised, according to text messages and emails sent between various parties, which were obtained by Lively under subpoena and included in the court filing.

On Monday, gossip site deumoix reported that one of the PR experts involved in that campaign, Jennifer Abel, had apparently posted to a media, marketing and PR group on Facebook defending her actions.

“What the cherry-picked messages [reported by The New York Times] don’t include, although not shockingly as it doesn’t fit the narrative, is that there was no ‘smear’ implemented,” she wrote.

“No negative press was ever facilitated, no social combat plan, although we were prepared for it as it’s our job to be ready for any scenario. But we didn’t have to implement anything because the internet was doing the work for us.”

A handful of stories at the time of the film’s release questioned why Lively and some others associated with the movie – including the author – had unfollowed Baldoni on social media and were doing media promotion for the film without him

Many other stories, however, hinted at Lively as a “difficult” person who sought to exert control over the production, including by having her husband, actor and businessman Ryan Reynolds, rewrite some scenes (during the writers’ strike, an action that would technically constitute scabbing).

“Through this complaint,” Lively’s filing states, “Ms Lively seeks to set the record straight, to hold the Wayfarer Parties and Associates accountable, and to shine a light on this new form of retaliation so that it will not be used against any others who seek to stand up and speak out against sexual harassment.”

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