logo
Blake Lively opens up about ‘intense year' amid It Ends With Us lawsuits: ‘Highest highs and lowest lows'

Blake Lively opens up about ‘intense year' amid It Ends With Us lawsuits: ‘Highest highs and lowest lows'

NZ Herald03-05-2025

'I see so many women around, afraid to speak – especially right now – afraid to share their experiences. And fear is by design. It's what keeps us silent. But I also acknowledge that many people don't have the opportunity to speak. So I do feel fortunate that I've been able to,' Lively said.
'It's the women who have had the ability to use this voice that's kept me strong and helped me in my belief and my fight for the world to be safer for women and girls.'
She said her four children had been her 'lifeline'.
'No matter what day I'm having, I have to be Disneyland for them.'
Lively first filed a lawsuit against her co-star Baldoni in December 2024 alleging sexual harassment and a smear campaign against her.
Baldoni denied this and sued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist in return for US$400 million ($672.5m) defamation and extortion.
A trial date has been set for March 2026.
Last month, it was reported that Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman could be subpoenaed in the case, which would draw more attention to the court battle.
Swift is known to be a close friend of Reynolds and Lively, and is godmother to one of their four children.
In the meantime, Lively is promoting Another Simple Favour, the sequel to 2018's A Simple Favour, in which she stars alongside Anna Kendrick.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Napoleon's iconic bicorne hat, personal treasures expected to fetch millions in Paris
Napoleon's iconic bicorne hat, personal treasures expected to fetch millions in Paris

1News

time2 days ago

  • 1News

Napoleon's iconic bicorne hat, personal treasures expected to fetch millions in Paris

After Hollywood's Napoleon exposed the legendary emperor to a new generation, over 100 relics — which shaped empires, broke hearts and spawned centuries of fascination — are on display in Paris ahead of what experts call one of the most important Napoleonic auctions ever staged. His battered military hat. A sleeve from his red velvet coat. Even the divorce papers that ended one of history's most tormented romances — with Josephine, the empress who haunted him to the end. Two centuries after his downfall, Napoleon remains both revered and controversial in France — but above all, unavoidable. Polls have shown that many admire his vision and achievements, while others condemn his wars and authoritarian rule. Nearly all agree his legacy still shapes the nation. 'These are not just museum pieces. They're fragments of a life that changed history,' said Louis-Xavier Joseph, Sotheby's head of European furniture, who helped assemble the trove. 'You can literally hold a piece of Napoleon's world in your hand.' From battlefields to boudoirs ADVERTISEMENT Busts are on display in an exhibition of Napoleon's belongings created by French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at the Sotheby's auction house in Paris. (Source: Associated Press) The auction — aiming to make in excess of 7 million euros (NZ$13.4 million) — is a biography in objects. The centrepiece is Napoleon's iconic bicorne hat, the black felt chapeau he wore in battle — with wings parallel to his shoulders — so soldiers and enemies could spot him instantly through the gunpowder haze. 'Put a bicorne on a table, and people think of Napoleon immediately,' Joseph said. 'It's like the laurel crown of Julius Caesar.' The hat is estimated to sell for at least over half a million dollars. For all the pageantry — throne, swords, the Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honour — the auction's true power comes from its intimacy. It includes the handwritten codicil of Napoleon's final will, composed in paranoia and illness on Saint Helena. There is the heartbreakingly personal: the red portfolio that once contained his divorce decree from Josephine, the religious marriage certificate that formalized their love and a dressing table designed for the empress. Her famed mirror reflects the ambition and tragedy of their alliance. 'Napoleon was a great lover; his letters that he wrote are full of fervour, of love, of passion,' Joseph said. 'It was also a man who paid attention to his image. Maybe one of the first to be so careful of his image, both public and private.' ADVERTISEMENT A new generation of exposure The auction's timing is cinematic. The 2023 biopic grossed over US$220 million (NZ$366.5 million) worldwide and reanimated Napoleon's myth for a TikTok generation hungry for stories of ambition, downfall and doomed romance. The auction preview is open to the public, running through June 24, with the auction set for June 25. Not far from the Arc de Triomphe monument dedicated to the general's victories, Djamal Oussedik, 22, shrugged: 'Everyone grows up with Napoleon, for better or worse. Some people admire him, others blame him for everything. But to see his hat and his bed, you remember he was a real man, not just a legend.' 'You can't escape him, even if you wanted to. He's part of being French," said teacher Laure Mallet, 51. History as spectacle A woman walks past a throne in an exhibition of Napoleon's belongings created by French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac at the Sotheby's auction house. (Source: Associated Press) ADVERTISEMENT The exhibition is a spectacle crafted by celebrity designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, famed for dressing Lady Gaga and Pope John Paul II. 'I wanted to electrify history,' Castelbajac said. 'This isn't a mausoleum, it's a pop culture installation. Today's collectors buy a Napoleon artefact the way they'd buy a guitar from Jimi Hendrix. They want a cabinet of curiosities.' He's filled the show with fog, hypnotic music and immersive rooms. One is inspired by the camouflage colours of Fontainebleau. Another is anchored by Napoleon's legendary folding bed. 'I create the fog in the entrance of the Sotheby's building because the elements of nature were an accomplice to Napoleon's strategy,' the designer said. Castelbajac, who said his ancestor fought in Napoleon's Russian campaign, brought a personal touch. 'I covered the emperor's bed in original canvas. You can feel he was just alone, facing all he had built. There's a ghostly presence." He even created something Napoleon only dreamed of. 'Napoleon always wanted a green flag instead of the blue, white, red tricolore of the revolution," he said, smiling. "He never got one. So I made it for Sotheby's.'

Disney to pay $725m to take full control of streaming service Hulu
Disney to pay $725m to take full control of streaming service Hulu

1News

time11-06-2025

  • 1News

Disney to pay $725m to take full control of streaming service Hulu

Disney will pay Comcast's NBCUniversal nearly US$439 million (NZ$725 million) for its stake in Hulu, taking full control of the streaming service. The move closes out an appraisal process that's dragged on for a few years. Disney said in November 2023 that it was acquiring a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for at least $8.6 billion. That amount reflected Hulu's guaranteed floor value of US$27.5 billion (NZ$45 billion), according to a regulatory filing. Disney has run Hulu since 2019, when Comcast ceded its authority to Disney and effectively became a silent partner. Hulu began in 2007 and quickly evolved into a service backed by entertainment conglomerates who hoped to stave off the internet with an online platform for their own TV shows. Disney joined in 2009, planning to offer shows from ABC, ESPN and the Disney Channel. A decade later, Disney gained majority control of the business when it acquired 21st Century Fox. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Austrian school shooting, Kiwisaver deadline, and Warriors injury worry. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT Disney said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that its appraiser arrived at a valuation below the guaranteed floor value during the initial phase of the appraisal process, while NBCUniversal's appraiser arrived at a valuation substantially in excess of the guaranteed floor value. A third appraiser was brought in and concluded that The Walt Disney Co. will pay US$438.7 million (NZ$725 million) for the Hulu stake. 'We are pleased this is finally resolved. We have had a productive partnership with NBCUniversal, and we wish them the best of luck," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. "Completing the Hulu acquisition paves the way for a deeper and more seamless integration of Hulu's general entertainment content with Disney+ and, soon, with ESPN's direct-to-consumer product, providing an unrivalled value proposition for consumers.' The transaction is anticipated to close by July 24. It's not expected to impact Disney's fiscal 2025 adjusted earnings forecast. Shares of Disney rose slightly in morning trading on Wednesday.

Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively
Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively

1News

time10-06-2025

  • 1News

Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively

A judge has dismissed the lawsuit filed by actor and director Justin Baldoni against his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment and retaliation. US District Court Judge Lewis Liman's decision is the latest development in the bitter legal battle surrounding the dark romantic drama that includes Lively suing Baldoni in late December. Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios countersued in January for US$400 million (NZ$660 million), accusing Lively and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion. The judge ruled that Baldoni can't sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her lawsuit, because allegations made in a lawsuit are exempt from libel claims. Liman also ruled that Baldoni's claims that Lively stole creative control of the film didn't count as extortion under California law. Blake Lively appears at the SNL50, left, and Justin Baldoni appears in New York. (Source: Associated Press) ADVERTISEMENT Baldoni's legal team can revise the lawsuit if they want to pursue different claims related to whether Lively breached a contract, the judge said. Emails seeking comment were sent to attorneys for Baldoni and Lively. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including new corruption report, California protests, and Justin Baldoni's legal loss. (Source: 1News) It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August, exceeding box office expectations with a US$50 million (NZ$82.5 million) debut. But the movie's release was shrouded by speculation over discord between Lively and Baldoni. The judge also dismissed Baldoni's defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, which had reported on Lively's sexual harassment allegations.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store