Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale speaks out on abuse amid Blake Lively’s legal battle

Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale, whose credits include Love & Friendship, Canary Black, and the Underworld series, has shared a powerful video on social media addressing the challenges women face in the entertainment industry.

The video was inspired by Blake Lively’s ongoing legal battle with It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni.

While Beckinsale clarifies she has never met either Lively or Baldoni, she has been following the case closely, describing it as emblematic of the systemic mistreatment of women in Hollywood.

In her video, Beckinsale details her own harrowing experiences of harassment and assault on film sets.

She recalls being “felt up” at the age of 18 by someone she trusted, only to have her complaints dismissed by colleagues.

“I went to the lead actress, who’s known for being a supporter of women, and said this has happened and was told, ‘No, it didn’t.’ I went to another actress, crying, and again was told, ‘No, you haven’t been.’”

Beckinsale also highlighted incidents where she was placed in “unsafe situations” during fight scenes, describing how certain male actors took pleasure in causing harm during legally sanctioned fight sequences.

“I was harmed, to the point where there were MRIs proving it,” she said.

“I was gas lit and made to feel like I was the problem, blamed and ostracised as soon as I mentioned there was a problem.”

The actress shared other examples of toxic work environments, including dealing with a drunk male co-star whose inability to learn his lines caused extensive delays. These delays prevented her from seeing her young daughter, and instead of addressing the issue, the studio gave her a bicycle to pass the time.

Beckinsale also spoke about body image pressures in the industry, revealing that she was once subjected to a strict diet and exercise regime that caused her to stop menstruating.

In another instance, she was forced to participate in a photoshoot just a day after suffering a miscarriage.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to … I am bleeding out a miscarriage,’ and [the publicist] said, ‘You have to or you’ll be sued.’”

Beckinsale also used her platform to emphasise the systemic issue of retaliation against women who speak out.

“There’s a machine that goes into effect when a woman complains about something legitimately offensive, upsetting, harmful, whatever, in this industry,” she said.

In a caption accompanying her video, Beckinsale added, “Complaining about abuse should not beget more abuse, particularly at work where there should be inviolable safeguarding in place.”

Recently, Blake Lively filed an 80-page complaint against director and her co-star from 'It Ends With Us' Baldoni, accusing him of inappropriate behavior on the set and orchestrating a smear campaign against her. Lively’s allegations have garnered support from industry figures such as Amy Schumer, America Ferrera, Amber Heard, and It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover.

Baldoni has denied the claims and has slapped a counter law suit against The New York Times for publishing an article about Lively's alleged mistreatment on the sets and also sued the actress.

Beckinsale concluded with a plea for change in the industry.

“There are far too many casualties of this, many of whom I know personally,” she said.

“It really falls to both men and women in our industry to be part of stamping this out for good.”.