Blake Lively's 'Cruel' Behavior Made An Assistant Director Quit The Film Industry: 'Cried My Way Home Many Nights'
Blake Lively has been indirectly accused of being "cruel" by Barbara Szeman, a former assistant director on the 2018 film A Simple Favor.
Szeman, who has worked on other major productions like Suicide Squad, reportedly made the allegations in comments on an Instagram post.
The controversy began when Henry Golding, Lively's co-star in A Simple Favor, shared a promotional image for the film's sequel, Another Simple Favor, which is set to release on May 1. Szeman responded to Golding's post, claiming, "I worked with you on the first one. My experience with everyone was absolutely amazing, except for a certain someone who is the reason I quit being an AD. Guess who that person is..."
Although Szeman didn't initially name Lively, she followed up with further comments that appeared to confirm her implication.
She added, "I want to avoid attention around this but I will say she was cruel to many. I know I cried my way home many nights because you try so hard to please someone who is never pleased and puts you down constantly."
Screenshots of Szeman's comments were later shared on Reddit, sparking widespread online discussion. Some users speculated that Szeman may have been constrained by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in the past, with one remarking, "Wow. I guess her NDA just expired."
Others criticized Lively's alleged behavior, saying, "The days of entitled 'stars' steamrolling over people they deem 'beneath' them need to be over."
Szeman, whose Instagram account has since been deactivated, later referenced the backlash on Facebook. In one post, she wrote, "Last time I leave a comment on an Instagram post," and acknowledged the situation by sharing a link to a Perez Hilton video discussing her remarks.
Sources close to the actress, per the Daily Mail, suggest these claims are part of what she described in court as Justin Baldoni's attempts to "bury her" amid their ongoing legal disputes.
The allegations have also reportedly affected plans for the sequel's promotional campaign. According to the outlet's insiders, Anna Kendrick, Lively's co-star, is exploring options to promote the film independently, allegedly preferring to distance herself from the growing controversy surrounding Lively.
