Kevin Costner sued by a stunt double for a sexual abbuse scene on "Horizon 2"
The actress filed her complaint in L.A. Superior Court, blaming Kevin Costner for unexpected violence on the set.
Devyn LaBella is a stunt double actress who is demanding that Kevin Costner not set proper filming safety protocols during a rape scene on "Horizon 2." According to the actress, the scene was "violent, unscripted, and unscheduled." The incident happened on May 2, 2023.
LaBella filed the lawsuit last Tuesday in the Superior Los Angeles County Court against the film production company Territory Pictures and Costner himself, because he is the director of the entire saga. On his demand, the actress alleges sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and infliction of emotional distress.
About the rape scene: before, during, and after
According to the lawsuit, LaBella had entered into a SAG-AFTRA contract with the producers to be the lead stunt double for Ella Hunt, a main actress in the Horizon series. However, one day, without prior notice, the actress was called to do an extra scene requested by Costner himself. Hunt denied doing the rape scene, and the director called LaBella to replace her, without telling her the sexual nature of the scene.
She realized that the actor, Roger Ivens, was already on top of her and violently pulled up her skirt. During the recording, there was no intimacy coordinator, and the set was an open room. The claim even stated that the scene was broadcast publicly on monitors for the entire crew. After the scene, LaBella was left in the wagon alone, and when she complained to her stunt coordinator, he "blamed her for not speaking up."
Devyn LaBella said in her claimed that she was not awared of the sex nature of the scene until the actor was on top of her. Photo: GLR Composition / Warner Bros. / Facebook Image
What rules were broken during the scene?
According to SAG-AFTRA, there are rules that directors must follow before a performer acts in a sex scene. One of them is that written consent must be provided at least 48 hours before the call time. The guild also bans last-minute changes. According to this, the movie failed to supply details of the scene, did not have rehearsals, and did not provide an intimacy coordinator.
After LaBella's complaints of sexual harassment on set, she was not hired by Costner to continue in his saga, which begins filming Horizon 3 in early 2024. She also claimed that her stunt coordinator did not call her again for any other projects. The lawsuit also claims failure to address or prevent discrimination and harassment, retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
