Fans brought to light the similarities between Ryan Reynolds's character "Nicepool" and Justin Baldoni, which resulted in a deleted scene from "Deadpool & Wolverine" going viral.
During an interview with Megyn Kelly on Tuesday, January 7, Bryan Freedman, the attorney for Baldoni, criticized Blake Lively's husband for supposedly making fun of his client in a film.
"If your wife is sexually harassed, you don't make fun of Baldoni," he said. He also added Reynolds should not make fun of the situation and must take it seriously. Freedman said that he should file HR complaints, raise the issue, and follow a legal process.
Baldoni's lawyer continued. "What you don't do is mock the person and turn it into a joke. Again, if somebody is seriously sexually harassed, you don't make fun of it. It's a serious issue."
Freedman then claimed that there was no question the scene relates to Baldoni.
In the clip, Reynolds' character sported a man bun, the hairstyle Baldoni had for decades until 2023, and says, "Oh my goodness, wait til you've seen Ladypool. She is gorgeous. She just had a baby too, and you can't even tell."
When Reynold's other character, Deadpool, tells him he's not supposed to say that, Nicepool replies, "That's OK. I identify as a feminist," per Page Six.
Later in the scene, the character added, "I'd be fighting alongside you, but my calling is to one day start a podcast that monetizes the women's movement."
Freedman told Kelly the shade was obvious.
A number of fans took to social media to comment on what they perceived to be a direct dig directed at the director of "It Ends with Us." Some netizens backed Reynolds, while others supported Freedman. One netizen said Reynolds should take the situation seriously and not joke about harassment. Another follower said people are overreacting because it's simply a movie, not a personal attack.
Another netizen supported Freedman, saying that joking about sexual harassment is unacceptable. Another fan defended Reynolds, arguing that it's comedy and not serious. One follower pointed out Hollywood's reluctance to define boundaries. Finally, another netizen urged Reynolds to apologize if the claims are accurate, saying comedy has its place.
During the month of December 2024, which was four months after the premiere of "It Ends with Us," Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her co-star, according to OK!
The former cast member of "Gossip Girl" also asserted that the director and his crisis PR team were involved in a social media smear campaign with the intention of destroying her reputation.
Business Times has reached out to Ryan Reynolds for comments.
