Blake Lively tried to ‘take advantage’ of Justin Baldoni in ‘It Ends With Us’ battle, crew member claims

A former “It Ends With Us” crew member has broken her silence on what she experienced on the embattled movie set — and is siding with the film’s lead actor and director, Justin Baldoni.

“I feel, like, maybe Blake [Lively] smelled his kindness — mistook it for weakness — and tried to take advantage and take power,” Talia Spencer — who worked as a storyboard artist on “It Ends With Us,” per IMDb — opined in an interview with “60 Minutes Australia” that aired Sunday.

The former staffer agreed with the claim that Lively, 37, “tried to” gain control of the film, stating, “I think there was a massive compromise in terms of Justin’s original vision for the film.”

“To see if be overtaken by this was definitely a little bit sad,” Spencer added. During the sit-down, the artist did not provide specific examples, though, of how the “Gossip Girl” allegedly asserted her control.

However, Baldoni, 41, has provided those alleged details in his $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist, Leslie Sloane.

He claimed in the complaint filed in January, which Page Six previously obtained, that his former co-star allegedly “began inserting herself into the production process in intrusive ways well beyond the scope of her contractual entitlement.”

“For example, Lively began to insist on creative control over her character’s wardrobe,” the Wayfarer Studio co-founder, who has the rights to “It Ends With Us,” alleged in the suit.

“While lead actors are sometimes granted approval over their characters’ general look, they generally do not receive full control.”

Baldoni also claimed in the complaint that he felt pressured into approving Lively’s script re-writes for a pivotal rooftop scene following a meeting where Reynolds, 48, and pop superstar Taylor Swift were present.

His lawyer Bryan Freedman alleged his client “felt obliged to text Lively to say that he had liked her pages and hadn’t needed Reynolds and her megacelebrity friend to pressure him.”

“The message could not have been clearer. Baldoni was not just dealing with Lively. He was also facing Lively’s ‘dragons,’ two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him.”

Baldoni has also alleged Lively accused him of sexual harassment in a California Civil Rights Department complaint and subsequent lawsuit only after she allegedly threatened to “not show up to set” and “to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met.”

Lively has denied those allegations, claiming she has been honest about her on-set experiences.

The “Age of Adeline” actress has further claimed that Baldoni launched a smear campaign against her and is suing her as retaliation for speaking out.

Spencer further claimed in her “60 Minutes Australia” interview that she never felt uncomfortable while working for Baldoni, adding, “He was one of the few directors I worked for that, like, was very kind and respectful.”

“In my opinion, I find it very hard to believe the allegations against him and, considering his mission statement about the film, and him genuinely pitching that he was doing this film to help young women, I just find it hard to believe the allegations, to be honest,” the storyboard artist added.

“It Ends With Us” was adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel and explores themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse between the film’s lead characters, played by Lively and Baldoni.

“It’d be nice if everybody could put their swords down, you know, and acknowledge their part in it and get along, but we don’t really live in that world, right?” Spencer concluded.

“It’s a little too late for that, so I hope that the truth comes out. I hope that the innocent parties are proven as innocent, and we move on.”

Spencer is the second “It Ends With Us” staffer in recent weeks to come forward.

Earlier this month, Page Six exclusively spoke to actor Adam Mondschein, who shot down Lively’s characterization of a birth scene they filmed together.

“I’m not going to speculate as to Ms. Lively’s motivations for mentioning me in the complaint. Needless to say, my experience working with her is very different than the one she described in her lawsuit,” he told us at the time. “Indeed, I was surprised to read her description of the scene.”

Page Six has reached out to Lively and Baldoni’s reps for comment on Spencer’s remarks but did not immediately hear back.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.