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Justin Baldoni could have saved himself a whole lot of grief – if only he had listened to the thousands of fans of the book It Ends with Us.
They wanted him to take on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Abigail Cowan to play Lily Bloom, but Baldoni wasn't interested, audio tapes obtained by the Daily Mail show.
Instead, he insisted that Blake Lively was right for the role and he went on a campaign to persuade her.
But it all ended badly for Baldoni, 42, when Lively accused him of sexually harassing her on set and then defaming and smearing her.
Baldoni even told Lively, 38, he didn't want 'some 22-year-old fresh out of college' in the part.
'That's not the movie I was interested in making,' he said, maybe referring to the idea of many Hollywood movies which star an older man with a much younger love interest.
Audio tapes obtained by the Daily Mail capture a message Justin Baldoni sent to Blake Lively in which he insists she perfectly fits the role of Lily Bloom and explains his vision of the film centering on an older woman in the part
In the tapes, he discusses how fans were pushing for the team to cast Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Abigail Cowan as Lily Bloom, but he stated to Lively that he didn't want 'some 22-year-old fresh out of college' in the part
The comments about redheaded rising star Cowan emerged in exhibits filed to the federal court in New York by Lively's lawyers who are fighting to avoid having her case against Baldoni dismissed.
During a hearing earlier this month, a judge heard arguments from both sides and will issue a ruling to the request later.
Lively is seeking $161million in damages after claiming Baldoni sexually harassed her then defamed and smeared her.
Baldoni, who denies the claims, has already had his own $400million defamation lawsuit against Lively dismissed by a judge.
Lively's case is due to go to trial in May.
The audio message was sent early in the production process for It Ends with Us, which started shooting in mid-2023, when Cowan would actually have been 25.
Lively has been in court for hearings involving Justin Baldoni. The comments about Cowan surfaced in exhibits filed in federal court in New York by Bher lawyers, who are seeking to prevent her case against Justin Baldoni from being dismissed (
During a hearing earlier this month, a judge heard arguments from both sides and said a ruling on the request will be issued at a later date. Justin Baldoni, 42, was later seen leaving court hand-in-hand with his wife, Emily, 41
Baldoni told Lively he had considered Cowan for the role of a younger Lily but ultimately decided she did not resemble Lively closely enough to make the character's evolution feel realistic
Baldoni – who directed and took the lead role of Ryle Kincaid in the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover's book – told Lively he did consider Cowan for the role of a younger Lily but decided she did not look enough like Lively to make the character seem realistic.
He said he realized it would be a good marketing move and it would give hardcore fans of the book 'what they wanted and what they didn't know they wanted – both of you guys in the same film'.
He told Lively that he wanted help from her 'genius marketing brain' to cast the role of young Lily from 2,600 applications.
He said: 'Before we announced you and for a couple of years, Abigail Cowan was who a lot of the young fans wanted to be Lily.
'She looks so young and of course that wasn't the movie I was going to make or was interested in making.
'But she wants it so bad…she's a great actress but doesn't look anything like you. I really don't want anything to take us out of the movie'.
Isabela Ferrer got the part of young Lily due to her likeness to Lively. Her first love in the movie was Atlas played by Alex Neustaedter
Ferrer (cdnter) later accused Baldoni of harassment for trying to repeatedly serve her with a subpoena in his legal battle with Lively
He favored Isabela Ferrer – who is two-and-a-half years younger than Cowan – for the part of young Lily. Ferrer, 25, who is George Clooney's second cousin, eventually got the part.
Ferrer has also accused Baldoni of harassment for repeatedly trying to serve her with a subpoena.
'She's a beast and as soon as she came on the screen I was like oof. I could see young you in her,' Baldoni told Lively. 'She's got depth and I could tell she could do anything'.
Seeing Ferrer in her first scene 'you'll legitimately say she looks like Blake' but seeing Cowan there would be 'a bit of a suspension of disbelief', Baldoni said.
The conversation continued in a second voice note Baldoni sent to Lively where he was talking about changes to the script.
He said: 'I know in my bones how excited I am to work with you as a creative because you give a s**t and that's so f***ing cool, and you're smart, you're funny, and you're all the things and you're a great writer'.
If Cowan was cast in the role of young Lily Bloom, it would be a 'bit of a suspension of disbelief' for audiences, Baldoni said
Baldoni said he 'liked the banter and the wittiness' that Lively had put in the script, in which Lively's character gets into an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Kincaid.
He said: 'I can see you and I know what you're trying to do and I want Lily to have that because I think it makes it much more powerful.
'Not just some 22-year-old fresh out of college but to see that woman – (Lively) end up in this relationship'.
The Daily Mail has contacted lawyers and representatives for Baldoni and Lively for comment.
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