Hollywood insiders say they weren't shocked when Justin Baldoni described a private confrontation with Ryan Reynolds as "traumatic."

What surprised many, according to Rob Shuter, was how closely the encounter resembled long-standing whispers about the actor's contrasting public and private images.

Newly filed court documents and text messages submitted as evidence in the legal battle involving Blake Lively and the production of "It Ends With Us," outline Baldoni's account of a January 2024 meeting at the couple's New York apartment. The details have reignited talk in industry circles about Reynolds' alleged dual personas.

A Tense Meeting Comes to Light

In texts first published by PEOPLE, Baldoni wrote to actor Rainn Wilson that the conversation with Reynolds left him "emotionally paralyzed."

The meeting, he said, centered on concerns Lively had raised and quickly escalated into a deeply uncomfortable exchange.

Baldoni claims Reynolds "was talking to me like a five-year-old and scolding me," adding that he was confronted with a list of allegations read from a phone.

Terms such as "creepy" and "abuse" were used, he said, and he was handed a written apology to read aloud, something he says he couldn't bring himself to do.

"It's hard to feel so much of what they believe about me is false because they are so convinced that it's real," he wrote in the Jan. 5, 2024, message.

Court filings state that the conversation took place the night before filming was set to resume following the end of the strikes.

Baldoni described wanting to "run and blow this whole movie up" yet feeling compelled to acknowledge the couple's concerns. He also referred to taking "the wrath of an angry husband," saying even that felt impossible in the moment.

Inside Hollywood's Quiet Rumors

While the texts shocked fans, insiders tell #ShuterScoop the scenario sounded familiar. For years, some industry figures have quietly drawn a distinction between Reynolds' public persona and the one they say emerges behind closed doors.

"People think Ryan is the funny, charming guy from the commercials," a longtime studio source told the outlet.

"But behind closed doors, he's a lot more intense... there's Hollywood Ryan, and then there's the Ryan only insiders meet."

Another person in the industry characterized Reynolds as "fiercely protective" of Lively, a quality they say sometimes shifts the dynamic around him.

A talent manager added that he "controls his image better than almost any A-lister," making the Baldoni allegations unsurprising to those who've worked closely with him.

What Triggered the Confrontation

According to the filings, the dispute stemmed from a moment when Baldoni asked a trainer about Lively's weight ahead of filming a scene in which he would lift her, a question he says was tied to his existing back problems. The trainer reportedly passed the question to Lively, who then told Reynolds, prompting the meeting.

Baldoni's legal complaint, filed in early 2025, described Reynolds' reaction as a "tirade" and claimed the director had "never been spoken to like that in his life." His lawyers alleged that the exchange may have been timed to coincide with other celebrity friends entering and exiting the penthouse.

Reynolds' attorney Bryan Freedman later told Page Six that the actor was "angry," "stern," and "impassioned," but denied that Reynolds "aggressively berated" Baldoni.

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Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively