A stunt performer has sued Kevin Costner, alleging she was subjected to an unscripted rape scene with out correct warning, consent or protocols whereas capturing his movie “Horizon: An American Saga: Chapter 2.”
Devyn LaBella filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Courtroom. It names Costner — the director, star and cowriter of the “Horizon” collection of Westerns — and its manufacturing firms as defendants.
“The impact of this impromptu work demand on Ms. LaBella has been profound, not only upending a career Ms. LaBella spent years building but leaving her with permanent trauma that she will be required to address for years to come,” the lawsuit says.
Costner’s legal professional mentioned the lawsuit has no advantage, and LaBella’s assertions are contradicted by each the info and her habits.
A former gymnast, the 34-year-old LaBella has labored steadily as a Hollywood stunt performer since 2020, with credit together with “Barbie” and “Yellowjackets.”
LaBella’s lawsuit says she was the stunt double for one of many “Horizon” leads, Ella Hunt, all through the manufacturing. The shoot included a deliberate sexual assault scene, shot in Could of 2023, that LaBella carried out a lot of due to its violent and bodily nature, the lawsuit says. For that scene, protocols had been adopted, together with conferences, rehearsals, the presence of an intimacy coordinator and minimal crew.
Nevertheless it alleges that the next day, in an unscripted scene with no warning, rehearsal or choreography, Costner directed an actor to pin LaBella down on a wagon and simulate rape. The lawsuit says Costner requested for a lot of takes as he experimented with the violent motion and didn’t make it clear when a shot was starting or ending.
“There was no escaping the situation, and all Ms. LaBella could do was wait for the nightmare to end,” the swimsuit says.
It alleges that safeguards had been ignored in violation of union contracts and trade requirements.
Costner’s legal professional, Martin Singer, mentioned that whereas Costner desires everybody to be comfy on his units, LaBella’s declare has “absolutely no merit, and it is completely contradicted by her own actions –- and the facts.”
“The scene in question was explained to Ms. LaBella, and after she performed the rehearsal in character with another actor, she gave her Stunt Coordinator supervisor a ‘thumbs up’ and indicated her willingness to then shoot the scene, if needed (which she was not),” Singer mentioned in a press release. “That night, Ms. LaBella had dinner with her supervisor, the stunt coordinator, and with the assistant stunt coordinator, and she was in good spirits and made no complaints to them. She continued to work on the movie for a few more weeks until her wrap date, and she took the stunt coordinator to a thank-you dinner.”
Singer supplied a picture of a textual content message LaBella despatched her stunt coordinator on the finish of manufacturing saying, “Thank you for these wonderful weeks!”
Singer mentioned LaBella “is a serial accuser of people in the entertainment industry,” however her “shakedown tactics won’t work in this case.”
The lawsuit says the remainder of the shoot introduced LaBella “continuous reminders of the shame, humiliation and complete lack of control she had experienced during the May 2 filming; she experienced sudden bouts of crying on and off set.”
The Related Press doesn’t sometimes identify individuals who say they’ve been sexually abused except they arrive ahead publicly, as LaBella has executed.
The lawsuit seeks damages in an quantity to be decided at trial, and it seeks a decide’s order for the defendants to bear sexual harassment coaching, to be required to make use of an intimacy coordinator on future productions and to concern LaBella a public apology.
Costner sought to make the formidable, four-part Western epic “Horizon: An American Saga” for 30 years. The primary half was launched in June of 2024, however plans to launch the second instantly after had been placed on maintain after the poor field workplace efficiency of half one.
