The comment was made by Andrea Giannetti, Sony Pictures’ executive vice president of production and senior creative executive, during a September 2025 deposition. The testimony was unsealed on Tuesday, Jan. 20, ahead of a summary judgment hearing scheduled for Jan. 22.
Giannetti confirmed under oath that she made the remark to producer Jamey Heath after learning that Lively had threatened to quit the film unless her concerns were addressed. According to the testimony, Lively demanded that a list of requested changes — referred to as a “17-point list” — be signed without revisions.
When asked directly whether she recalled calling Lively “a f---ing terrorist,” Giannetti replied, “Yes.”
Giannetti testified that at the time, Sony Pictures had already invested about $28 million in the film and feared it would be unreleasable if production stopped.
“There was a tremendous amount of money that had been invested and spent, and we had to finish the movie or it was unreleasable,” Giannetti said.
She also stated that she did not recall Lively telling her that Baldoni or producer Heath had done anything specific on set in mid-May 2024 that made her uncomfortable. However, she acknowledged that she understood Lively was prepared to leave the project if her concerns were not resolved.
Despite the tension during production, Giannetti later sent Lively a positive text message following the film’s release in August 2024.
“Blake, $50 million!! Your blood, sweat, tears, brilliant smarts, heart and soul in every single frame,” Giannetti wrote in an Aug. 11, 2024 message entered into evidence. She later testified that the message referred to the film’s strong box office performance.
Giannetti said the movie earned close to $350 million worldwide, calling its success “gigantic” for its genre and budget.
Other newly unsealed court documents include statements from actress Jenny Slate, who described the filming experience as “disturbing.” Slate said she was “one of many” who felt uncomfortable during production.
In a message included in the filings, Slate said that she and Lively both complained directly to Giannetti and that Sony “agree[d] with us.” Slate also criticized Baldoni, calling him “truly a false ally” and saying she did not want to help promote the image he was crafting as a “male feminist.”
“I honestly have never ever encountered anything like this dude,” Slate wrote.
Lively’s attorney, Sigrid McCawley, said in a Jan. 20 statement that only Lively’s claims remain in the case after the court dismissed Wayfarer’s countersuit last June.
“The newly unsealed evidence contains never-before-seen testimony, messages and evidence from numerous eyewitnesses backing the claims in Ms. Lively’s lawsuit,” McCawley said. She added that the documents show concerns raised by Lively and other women were documented in real time and understood internally as sexual harassment complaints.
A judge is expected to decide whether some or all of Lively’s claims will proceed to trial. The trial is currently scheduled for May 2026.
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