A legal battle between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has thrust the issue of on-set conduct and intimacy coordination into the national spotlight, raising critical questions about professional boundaries in film production.

Lively has filed a civil complaint against Baldoni, who both co-starred with her and directed their upcoming film “It Ends With Us.” The lawsuit centers on alleged inappropriate behavior during a bar scene dance sequence, with Lively’s legal team claiming Baldoni made unscripted physical advances without prior consent.

Baldoni’s representatives released video footage of the scene, which they argue supports his position. However, Lively’s attorneys describe the same footage as “damaging,” highlighting what they say are inappropriate physical interactions. The conflict escalated when Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist.

Intimacy coordination experts have seized on the controversy as a critical workplace safety issue. Ita O’Brien, a leading professional in the field,...