Actor Kevin Costner and producers of his movie Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2 are being sued by one of many film’s stunt performers over allegations that she was compelled to carry out a violent, unscripted rape scene with out consent or prior warning.
Devyn Labella, the lead stunt double for Ella Hunt, who performs a personality named Juliette within the Horizon franchise — a four-part western sequence written and directed by Costner, who additionally stars within the film — filed a lawsuit in California on Tuesday.
Kevin Costner on the crimson carpet for ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ on the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2024, in Cannes, France.
Gisela Schober / Getty Images
She is claiming that on May 2, 2023, Costner made her partake in an improvised rape scene the day after Hunt and LaBella had shot a scripted scene additionally depicting rape by a special character.
Hunt declined to movie the unscripted scene, in line with the submitting. Consequently, LaBella was known as to fill in, unaware that Hunt had refused to take part and vacated the set.
The lawsuit alleges that LaBella was not given prior warning {that a} new male actor within the impromptu scene had been instructed to “climb on top of Ms. Hunt (LaBella)” and “violently” pull up her skirt.
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“Defendant Costner, who was present on the set, specifically added this scene, which varied from the scene filmed the day before, which had not involved pulling up the actor’s skirt. Moreover, this revised scene is not specified in the assigned call sheet for that day,” legal professionals for the plaintiff argued.
Left to proper: Isabelle Fuhrman, Ella Hunt, Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller and Abbey Lee Kershaw attend the ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ photocall on the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2024, in Cannes, France.
Stephane Cardinale – Corbis / Getty Images
According to LaBella, in the course of the filming of the scene, Costner informed her to “lay down” in a wagon whereas he directed the male actor to “repeatedly perform a violent simulated rape” on her, whereas Costner continued to experiment with totally different angles and “takes.”
The lawsuit argues that Costner violated the phrases of LaBella’s contract, established by her union, SAG-AFTRA, which requires all performers to consent to taking part in scenes simulating intercourse or involving nudity and to obtain 48 hours’ discover forward of filming sequences of that nature.
LaBella says she was not given the required warning and that she didn’t consent, as required in her contract. She additionally says there was no intimacy co-ordinator current, which is obligatory beneath Hunt’s contract, and in addition utilized to LaBella as her stunt double.
In addition, the lawsuit claims the set was not closed. It is widespread apply that in the course of the filming of intimate scenes, solely a skeleton crew is current. However, LaBella claims that “the scene was broadcast publicly on monitors for the entire crew to witness … anyone could walk by and observe the scene being performed.”
It additionally states that, not like the unscripted rape scene, the scripted one filmed the day prior was rehearsed and overseen by an intimacy co-ordinator on a closed set, as stipulated in her contract.
LaBella is looking for damages for sexual harassment, a hostile work setting and breach of contract.
She claims to have been left within the wagon alone after the scene wrapped, saying that she felt “shock, embarrassment, and humiliation while attempting to process the situation,” and that she was “holding back tears.”
LaBella was required to proceed engaged on one other scene afterward, regardless of her “terrified” emotions, her legal professionals say.
In a press release to Variety, Costner’s lawyer, Marty Singer, denied the allegations, saying his consumer “always wants to make sure that everyone is comfortable working on his films and takes safety on set very seriously,” including that LaBella’s declare has “absolutely no merit, and it is completely contradicted by her own actions — and the facts.”
“Ms. LaBella is a serial accuser of people in the entertainment industry and has worked with the same lawyer on past claims. But those shakedown tactics won’t work in this case,” he continued.
Costner argues that LaBella was briefed on the scene and allowed to rehearse it earlier than giving a “thumbs up” to her stunt co-ordinator, which, in line with his legal professionals, indicated her willingness to take part if she was wanted, which she was not, Costner says.
Instead, he says LaBella attended a dinner with the stunt co-ordinators, was in “good spirits” and made “no complaints to them.”
According to the lawsuit, LaBella was not rehired for the filming of the third installment and has not been known as again to work with the stunt co-ordinators on every other initiatives regardless of having labored with them on a number of initiatives earlier than.
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