Morrone filmed ‘A Simple Favor 2’ with Lively shortly after she wrapped ‘It Ends With Us’ with Baldoni

Michele Morrone and his costar Blake Lively.

Michele Morrone is lending his support to his costar Blake Lively.

On Monday, Dec. 23, the 34-year-old Italian actor and model took to his Instagram Story to speak out about the allegations of sexual harassment and retaliatory behavior that Lively, 37, has made against her It Ends With Us director and costar Justin Baldoni.

Morrone, who appeared alongside Lively in the upcoming A Simple Favor 2, shared a video of his take on the matter.

“It’s usually not my thing to make those kind of videos,” he began, “but I think it’s time to stand up for a person that I really love and this person is Blake Lively.”

Michele Morrone on the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival in October 2024. 

“I felt something was wrong, and I felt the pain,” Morrone added about meeting Lively on the set of A Simple Favor 2. “ We had the opportunity to talk about [it] me and her. Blake was in pain.”

Linking to The New York Times breakdown of the complaint and the allegations Lively has made about Baldoni, Morrone added, “I’m really tired to see those kind of cruel and bad comments about her without knowing the situation.”

He ended the video with a message to his costar, noting, “Blake, I love you so much. Keep it up, and we’re going to see each other very, very soon.”

Lively began filming A Simple Favor 2 shortly after she wrapped It Ends With Us, the dark romance adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling book. In the film, she played opposite Baldoni, whose character Ryle Kincaid was physically abusive to her character Lily Bloom.

Morrone isn’t Lively’s first costar to speak out in her defense. Brandon Sklenar, who plays Atlas Corrigan in It Ends With Us, previously reposted Lively’s complaint against Baldoni on his Instagram Stories, writing, “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD READ THIS.”

Costar Jenny Slate also spoke out, releasing a statement of support for Lively.

“As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation,” Slate told TODAY.com. “Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.”

“What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening,” she continued. “I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”

In her complaint, filed ahead of a potential discrimination lawsuit, Lively accused Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, its co-founder Steve Sarowitz, It Ends with Us lead producer Jamey Heath and multiple other people, of orchestrating an effort to tarnish her reputation via an extensive retaliatory smear campaign.

Lively accused Baldoni of “invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional and sexually inappropriate behavior,” leading to her “grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety.”

Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for Baldoni, previously told PEOPLE that Lively’s allegations are “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.”

In a Monday, Dec. 23, statement Freedman also addressed the smear campaign accusations, and said that “audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful.”