“It Ends With Us” actor Adam Mondschein is setting the record straight on Blake Lively’s claims while filming the movie’s controversial birthing scene.
“Her voice is heard,” Mondschein — who played OBGYN Dr. Dunbar in the delivery room scene in “It Ends With Us” — said. “She is not a wilting flower. She is very confident and firm.”
The “Gossip Girl” alum also claimed Baldoni, 42, “introduced his ‘best friend’ to play the role of the OBGYN, when ordinarily, a small role of this nature would be filled by a local actor.”
“Ms. Lively felt that the selection of Mr. Baldoni’s friend for this intimate role, in which the actor’s face and hands were in close proximity to her nearly nude genitalia for a birth scene, was invasive and humiliating,” the complaint further alleged.
The thespian — who on IMDb boasts a list of at least 10 acting credits prior to his appearance in “It Ends With Us,” and a master’s in fine arts from UCLA and a tour with the Tony Award-winning Acting Company — said he takes offense at Lively’s implications in her lawsuit that he was not qualified for the OBGYN role.
Mondschein — who helped deliver Lively’s character Lily’s baby in the aforementioned and pivotal hospital scene — also disputed Lively’s characterization that she was “nearly nude” during filming.
“She’s pretending to have a baby, but she’s fully covered,” he said, adding that the actress wore “a prosthetic,” “a hospital gown,” and “black shorts” while filming. “There’s nothing to see. Nothing to look at,” he explained.
Mondschein further recalled spending much of the scene “holding a real baby off screen, covered in raspberry jelly and cream cheese” before lifting the infant into frame during the delivery moment.
“Even in the scene that you see that made it into the film, you see me smiling at a baby,” he said. “I’m looking at a live baby. The cutest baby whose parents are there in the room with the crew that’s there.”
Lively filed the complaint against Baldoni, alleging that he sexually harassed her on the set of their film, which was adapted from the popular Colleen Hoover novel of the same name.
“The reason he wanted to direct this piece, the reason why he wanted to be in it, to put his heart on it, was because he found the book to be significant,” Mondschein explained, noting that Baldoni had “a great relationship” with the author and wanted to tell “the best” story.
“He was going to usher forth her book to a whole new audience, turning it into a movie … he wanted these conversations … about domestic violence, the responsibility that men have to have this conversation, not just the victims, not just the women. And so that was his whole drive.”
Lively and Baldoni made the shocking decision to settle their lengthy court battle on May 4 in what we’re told was a “last-minute deal.”
A source said that the “It Ends With Us” co-stars had been negotiating for a few weeks and were encouraged to make a settlement.
“They finally came to an agreement today. It was a last-minute deal,” the insider shared with us just moments after the settlement was reached. “The magistrate and the judge wanted to avoid this going to trial as it was going to be a long, drawn-out case, so they were encouraged to reach an agreement.”
