Abigail Breslin relates to Blake Lively claims, says she was sued after reporting costar's 'unprofessional behavior'

Abigail Breslin penned a poignant essay in which she shared how she experienced "the same toxic masculinity throughout my life" as Blake Lively, who filed a legal complaint against her It Ends With Us director and costar Justin Baldoni for allegedly sexually harassing her and coordinating an online smear campaign to discredit her.

Breslin did not mention Lively by name, but referred to "recent events regarding the attempt to destroy the career and livelihood of a fellow actress and woman."

In the essay, which she shared on Tumblr and reposted on Instagram, the Little Miss Sunshine and Zombieland star said she was sued by "a former employer" after she confidentially reported a costar's alleged "unprofessional behavior" to her union. The suit, she added, was withdrawn.

Related: Kate Beckinsale says Blake Lively’s legal complaint highlights the ‘machine' that punishes actresses for complaining

"In my recent career, I've brought forward concerns about a male colleague and was deemed 'hysterical,'" Breslin wrote. "I was told my fears were figments of my imagination. Now, as I'm seeing this pattern pop up more, I realize this is in the norm." Further along in the essay, she mentioned "a suit was filed" against her by this former employer "after making a confidential complaint against a coworker for unprofessional behavior."

"I am not known as a liar in my field of work, no matter how vocal I may be. Hence, why I've been working for 25 years," she wrote. "Instead of being believed and protected, a suit was filed against me for having the audacity for speaking up. I was publicly shamed... in the process. A reputation I had cultivated for over two decades had now been tainted as I became the crazy, paranoid, and to quote directly, 'hysterical and wild woman,' who apparently just had it in for men."

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"My previous abuse was also brought up as 'unfounded claims,' and I was made to seem like someone who just goes after men, rather than being seen as someone who has been dealing as a professional in this world, since I was a child, standing up for herself," she continued. "This was after I had taken all of the recommended, reasonable, and appropriate measures of reporting confidentially to my union."

Related: Amber Heard supports Blake Lively after Justin Baldoni hired Johnny Depp crisis firm: 'I saw this firsthand'

Breslin did not mention anyone by name. However, news outlets reported in November 2023 that the producers of the 2024 action-thriller Classified sued Breslin for breach of contract. The filing, according to an article from USA Today at the time, claimed Breslin caused the producers to spend $80,000 in accommodations over allegations that her costar Aaron Eckhart displayed "aggressive, demeaning, and unprofessional behavior" that "placed her at various times in peril."

The filing also noted that Breslin reported all this in a private letter to the Screen Actors Guild and that a producer on set of Classified "prepared a report based on a detailed investigation" that found no evidence. The legal complaint called Breslin's allegations "wild, hysterical, and imaginary," though the suit was eventually withdrawn.

Breslin wrote in her essay how the experience left her with "a lot of questions, of the professionals in my industry, of the public, and of men." She questioned why the public seems excited to see the takedown of a woman, while being so quick to defend men accused of bad behavior. "If we don't speak up, we're weak and aiding in the problem," she wrote. "If we do, we are over dramatic, bitchy, bossy, divas."

She concluded, "To change the narrative, we do not need more women to scream. We just need a lot of men to shut up and listen."

Related: Abigail Breslin says she got death threats after post supporting Kesha: 'I stand by what I said'

Multiple other actresses in Hollywood spoke out about their own experiences after Lively's legal complaint against Baldoni. Amber Heard, who faced the same crisis PR firm that Baldoni hired earlier this year during her own legal battles with Johnny Depp, says she saw "firsthand and up close" the effects of a social media smear campaign. "It’s as horrifying as it is destructive," Heard said.

Kate Beckinsale also shared past experiences being harassed for complaining about poor working conditions on film sets. In a video shared on her Instagram Reels, the actress said, "I'm grateful to Blake Lively for highlighting the fact that this is not an archaic problem...this is continuing. And then when it does happen, a machine goes into place to absolutely destroy you."

Read Breslin's full essay above.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly