The reported break-up has made headlines in recent weeks and led to scrutiny of Lively’s past, with many criticizing the star’s past behavior.
But while Lively is now trying to salvage her reputation, Baldoni is navigating the changing ebb and flow of public opinion with a move from the celebrity scandal playbook — hiring a PR crisis team.
Justin Baldoni didn’t pose with other cast members at the New York premiere of “It Ends With Us” earlier this month. Cindy Ord/Getty Images
The actor and director, who became famous for his role in the sitcom “Jane the Virgin”, has enlisted the help of veteran PR manager Melissa Nathan, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“It was the right move for him,” Megan Balik, PR expert and vice president of Jive PR + Digital, told Business Insider. “We always recommend hiring a reputation management firm before you need one.”
“I think it shows us that Justine doesn’t trust Blake and believes that she’s going to try to control the narrative. He is trying to ensure that this result does not negatively affect his career,” Balik added.
Eric Schieffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, said one of the first things Baldoni would likely do with his new crisis team is lay out “what really happened behind the scenes.”
Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid and Blake Lively as Lily Bloom in “It Ends With Us”. Nicole Rivelli/Sony Pictures Entertainment
Society has yet to get the full picture of this.
It wasn’t until people noticed that the pair weren’t interacting during the film’s promotional tour this month that people started digging into what happened and came up with all sorts of wild theories.
TMZ and Page Six have since reported tensions on the film’s set, while unnamed sources told The Hollywood Reporter that additional problems arose in post-production when two different parts of the film appeared.
Baldoni will have to fill in the gaps on his PR team by confirming or denying the reported rumors and giving his team the full picture, Schiffer said.
“Once you have that, you can formulate a battle plan,” he continued. “A big part of that is making sure you don’t blow up issues that could blow up.”
“But if things are favorable, it can be beneficial for the client to ‘leak’ the truth if it’s not already there,” Schiffer added.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni film a scene from It Ends With Us in May 2023. Gotham/GC Images/Getty Images
There has been some speculation online that journalist Kjersti Flaa may have been part of a smear campaign against Lively after she re-uploaded to YouTube a 2016 interview with the actor and captioned it: “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job’.
The now-viral interview found Lively acting hostile towards the reporter after she congratulated the star on her pregnancy.
Speaking to MailOnline, Flaa said of her motivation to share the footage: ‘It’s time people who misbehave in Hollywood or anywhere else for that matter are called out on it. It’s not good even if you’re rich and famous.”
There is no evidence that Lively’s sudden public outpouring is Baldoni’s crisis team in action.
Instead, Schiffer said, Baldoni “received a gift because of the distracting components that arose” about the former “Gossip Girl” star.
“The last thing Justin is going to want to do is bring attention back to him,” he said.
“The rule is if the other side is self-destructing because of bad choices, you don’t change the subject.” You let it play out,” he added.
Balik said the actions Baldoni has already taken have helped him create an image of someone who is down-to-earth and has the best interests of those who may have a stake in the film in mind.
Recent social media posts show him with his family talking about what inspired him to get into acting and surprising fans at screenings in the US.
Meanwhile, in interviews, he spoke fondly of Lively and called attention to “all the women we made this movie about.”
While much has been made of the fact that Baldoni’s new crisis team previously represented Johnny Depp during his high-profile legal battle against Amber Heard, Balik said that probably had more to do with the fact that Baldoni needed a heavyweight , to fight his angle, given that Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds likely have “an equally strong PR team that’s probably on standby.”
“While Melissa Nathan has dealt with controversial cases like the Johnny Depp trial, her experience in the entertainment industry is unmatched, which is necessary when one of Hollywood’s most powerful couples has a direct hand in the film,” she said .
As for how Baldoni should proceed, Schieffer said he just needs to “let things play out.”
“When it comes down to it, Justin has a successful movie. Right now the focus is not on him, it’s on Blake and her choice, and here I suggest she tries to keep it,” he added.