Justin Louis Baldoni born January 24, [ 1 ] is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing Rafael Solano on the CW telenovela Jane the Virgin — and for starring in and directing the romantic drama film It Ends with Us He has also directed Five Feet Apart and Clouds Baldoni co-founded the production company Wayfarer Studios in Through his company he has produced and co-hosted the Man Enough podcast.
He has also published two books centering on male privilege and toxic masculinity. Its contentious filming received substantial media coverage, as both Lively and Baldoni filed lawsuits related to the production.
The New York Times first reported Lively's allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni played soccer and ran track in high school, and was a radio disc jockey at a local top 40 radio station. While moving into a new apartment building, Baldoni met a manager who advised him to pursue a career in acting.
He said that he "wrestled with that trauma for the rest of my life, because in my head a man can't experience sexual trauma at the hands of a woman. Baldoni made his acting debut in the soap opera The Young and the Restless in In , Baldoni wrote, produced, and directed his first music video that was selected and won him his first "Audience Choice Award" at Dawn Breakers International Film Festival. On the heels of that success Baldoni founded Wayfarer Entertainment, a digital media studio focused on disruptive inspiration.
The film was released on March 15, , and chronicles the lives of two teenagers living with cystic fibrosis. It was released on October 16, In Baldoni directed, produced, and starred in the romantic drama It Ends with Us , based on Colleen Hoover 's novel of the same name.
