It Ends With Us Star Isabela Ferrer Spoke Highly Of Justin Baldoni's Directing & Creating A 'Comfortable, Safe Space' On Set BEFORE The Press Tour

Well, this is inneresting…

Over the weekend, Justin Baldoni finally released a website detailing his full list of complaints against Blake Lively amid their It Ends With Us lawsuits. It included an “Amended Complaint” and a “Timeline Of Relevant Events,” which included a breakdown of all the text, email, and similar communications he had with Blake and others on the production.

Amid the 168-page long document, Justin actually included proof his co-stars weren’t always out to get him — AND that some of them even thought he created a super “safe” working environment contrary to the Gossip Girl star’s allegations.

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The revelation came from actress Isabela Ferrer, who played Young Lily – AKA a young Blake Lively. This was her first big film, and she seemed to have a fabulous time on the project. On June 22, 2023, the now-25-year-old sat for an “EPK [electronic press kit] interview designed for use in the Film’s promotional campaign.” She was asked “what is the most rewarding part of being” on the film, and she didn’t hold back, gushing:

“At least for me, this is one of my very first projects, so I think working with professionals that […] have been doing this for a really long time, but also who are so open. The crew and Justin and all the actors that I’ve worked with have just been so open and welcoming. I’ve never felt belittled in any sort of way. I think just being able to come into set and feeling seen and heard and feeling immediately comfortable and being able to just go in to do what I do and not having any anxieties or worries about how I might be or, yeah, I just feel very accepted, I think.”

The interviewer then asked specifically what it was like working with the Jane the Virgin alum, to which she replied:

“Oh my God, so good. So so so so good. He’s been so generous with advice and just overall in the entire process of letting me observe and really take in everything he’s taken really good care of. I mean, everybody, it seems, and I think there’s a lot that’s always going on in productions,  and I think he has a really great method of just being able to keep things positive and find ways of uplifting and then going, and then there’s also this look at that, and I feel like that’s, as an actor who’s also first starting, when you’re trying to get used to everything, it’s really important to have someone go, that’s really good. Okay, now let’s look at this. And there’s no patronizing, there’s no, I don’t feel not heard. I always feel like I can go up to him and ask for anything.”

She felt this way from the moment they met, she recalled

“I mean, our first phone call after I got this job, it was a FaceTime, and the first thing he said to be was like, whatever you need wherever, call me. I immediately had his number. There was an immediate understanding that literally, whatever, if I needed anything, I knew that I could reach out to him. And that was immediately such a comforting feeling that I wasn’t just diving into something and not knowing what was going to happen.”

Wow!

It doesn’t seem like she could love him or the experience on set even more! But flash forward to the next year, when the movie was released in August 2024, and she and the rest of the cast made a point to shun Justin. WTF changed??

Well, Justin’s legal team pinned that on Blake, pointing out that these comments came before Isabela and other cast members spent “time with Lively during the promotional tour of the Film.” So, they seem to think she got close with them and started changing their minds on the whole situation. Justin may not be wrong, either. Something definitely changed!

You see, that promo interview wasn’t the only time Isabela went out of her way to praise the Five Feet Apart director. On July 11, 2023, she reached out to Justin “two weeks after production had wrapped to share her gratitude for the experience.” In a text, the young actress sent a photo she’d taken on the project and had just developed, adding:

“I also have to say thank you SO so much for an incredible experience on my first film. I still cant shake the feeling of it all because it truly was life changing for me, you are such a wonderful, smart and sincere director and you created such a comfortable, safe space for me to feel like I could fully step into this role. I couldn’t have asked for a more welcoming environment.  It will stay with me for the rest of my life!!”

We know actors can have wildly different experiences on projects and with certain people, so maybe the set did feel unsafe to Blake, but this does not exactly help her case…

Justin happily responded:

“Isabela!!! Wow what a kind message”

He continued in a follow-up:

“You were such a joy and pleasure to work with. Your openness, your raw talent, your kindness and your excitement made me fall in love with directing again. I’m so excited for your career and for everyone to see you in this film. You have a big career in front of you!! Looking forward to seeing you again in September even if we don’t need you to work … come visit”

They were pals! Look:

Isabela had no reason to write this text — so that’s how you know this was sincere! It’s not like in the EPK interview, where she could’ve just been nice because she knew the content was meant for promo. That’s not the time to bash someone, y’know? But not only was she super glowing in that chat, but then she gushed about him in what she thought was going to be a personal, private message. That’s when you know she meant every word.

What a difference a year made, though! As mentioned, they steered clear of each other during the film’s release. Did Blake tell Isabela something shady about Justin’s on-set behavior that made her distance herself? Or how else did Blake seem to win over the rest of the cast? Hmm.

What do you think, Perezcious readers? Why did Isabela’s behavior toward Justin change? Sound OFF (below).

[Image via CBS/YouTube & Phil Lewis/WENN]

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