Intimacy Expert Unpacks Justin Baldoni’s ‘Smell’ Comment Controversy

A newly surfaced unedited clip from the set of “It Ends With Us” goes viral, as it offers audio and context that seems to contradict Blake LivelySexual harassment allegations against co-star and director Justin Baldoni.

The footage sheds new light on a heated legal battle filled with allegations and counterclaims, including Blake Lively’s claim that Justin Baldoni acted inappropriately while filming a romantic dance scene.

In her civil rights complaint, Lively Baldoni accused of dragging her lips down his neck during a scripted dance scene, allegedly whispering, “It smells so good.” She said no one heard the remark because the microphones were muted for the silent scene.

Baldoni responds, “It smells good,” prompting both actors to laugh. Lively clarifies that the perfume comes from her body makeup, maintaining the playful tone of their interaction.

That comment has been a focal point among fans dissecting the clip, but Mia Schachter, an intimacy coordinator who has worked on Apple TV+’s “Lessons in Chemistry,” HBO’s “Insecurity” and “American Crime” Story” from FX, told The Hollywood Reporter People should look at the bigger picture.

“As far as the smell comment, to me it’s less about that particular comment and whether or not it was a straw that broke the back type of situation,” she said. “It’s like she has a running list of moments where she felt uncomfortable and pushed, and inappropriate things happened. This line is something you don’t even notice if you feel like comfortable and safe.”

Schachter acknowledged how complex it is, “because obviously saying that in character makes sense.”

“To say that out of character, it’s not inherently wrong or inappropriate,” she added. “But when there were passages of discomfort and montage editing, I can see how it becomes yet another thing that was offline.”

When discussing the Daily MailThe title with the video that reads “Who’s Lying?” Schachter admits she doesn’t think either is lying.

“I think they’re both speaking from their own experiences,” she said Thr. “They really disagree on things like professionalism, etiquette, what’s appropriate, what’s not, what it means to be an actor. There are still actors who are like ‘everything it should be organic. And “Oh, I’m sorry I pushed you.

“Most, if not all, intimacy coordinators and stunt coordinators would say, ‘You don’t do that.’ You don’t kiss someone if you haven’t talked about it in advance. “In Hollywood, in the not too recent past, this was not out of the ordinary,” Schachter added. “That doesn’t mean it was OK, but we operate with a different set of standards.”

At the end of the day, Schachter feels Baldoni should have stepped up and made sure Livley was comfortable filming the scenes.

“In a scene like that, without an intimacy coordinator, I think it was his responsibility to ask Blake, ‘Hey, what do you think about kissing him in this scene?’ “If that’s what he wanted to see. That’s what he wanted to shoot, but he didn’t.

“Justin Baldoni and his attorney might hope that this latest stunt becomes the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning,” Lively’s attorneys said Tmz. “Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in paragraph 48 of her complaint.”

The statement goes on to detail the alleged behavior seen in the video, saying it shows Baldoni “repeatedly leaning toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck , rubbing her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells and talking to her about her character.

As the legal battle unfolds, the video raises important questions about how on-set dynamics are interpreted and the challenges of distinguishing between scripted actions and alleged misconduct. For now, both sides stand firm in their narratives, leaving the court of public opinion to weigh the evidence.