Content warning: This post includes descriptions of sexual assault.
A stunt performer who worked on Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 has accused the actor and director of forcing them to participate in an allegedly unscripted rape scene.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, stunt performer Devyn LaBell has filed a lawsuit against Costner, who directed, produced, and stars in the second installment of his Horizon series of movies. She said that she was hired to double for Ella Hunt, one of the stars of the movie, but she was subjected to a "brutal" rape scene without providing her consent and without an intimacy coordinator on set.
She is suing Costner and the production companies involved with the second Horizon film for sexual discrimination, harassment, and the creation of a hostile work environment. She has also alleged that she was punished for reporting the incident and was not hired for any future filming periods or by the stunt coordinator on the project, with whom she has a working relationship.
"On that day, I was left exposed, unprotected, and deeply betrayed by a system that promised safety and professionalism," said LaBella. "What happened to me shattered my trust and forever changed how I move through this industry."
She said that a scripted rape scene was shot on May 1, 2023 as detailed on the call sheet and rehearsed with both a stunt coordinator and an intimacy coordinator. The following day, she said she was scheduled for two regular sequences but things didn't go that way. Instead, she was told to lie down in a wagon and actor Roger Ivens simulated a sexual assault at the orders of Costner. The scene wasn't rehearsed, she said, and she later learned that Hunt was "visibly upset" and walked off the set after she was told about the previously unplanned scene.
Costner's attorney Marty Singer denied the allegations on behalf of his client, who he said "always wants to make sure that everyone is comfortable working on his films and takes safety on set very seriously." Singer added that the lawsuit has "absolutely no merit" and is "completely contradicted by [LaBella’s] own actions — and the facts."
Singer said that LaBella did not file a complaint after the allegedly unplanned scene and "was in good spirits" at a cast and crew dinner that night. LaBella and her legal representation are asking for a jury to decide on potential punitive damages.
