Nicole Kidman Debuts Natural Hair After Months of Wigs
Nicole Kidman has given fans a rare look at her natural hair while spending time with family in Europe. The actress, 58, likes to keep her…
The stuntwoman accusing Kevin Costner of forcing her to perform an unscripted rape scene in his $100 million Western film series has hit back against his lawyer’s claims that she is a ‘serial accuser’.
Devyn LaBella alleged in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday that she was the victim of a ‘violent, unscripted, unscheduled rape scene’ directed by Costner on the set of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, in May 2023.
LaBella, the lead stunt double for actress Ella Hunt, claimed that she never consented to participating in the alleged scene, in which a male actor was directed to mount her, pin her down, and violently hike up her skirt, according to the complaint.
The stuntwoman further claimed there was no intimacy coordinator on set and that she was left with ‘permanent trauma’ due to the experience.
Costner’s attorney, Marty Singer, has denied LaBella’s allegations in their entirety, insisting her accusations have ‘absolutely no merit’ and are ‘completely contradicted by her own actions – and the facts’.
Singer blasted LaBella for employing ‘shakedown tactics’ to fleece his A-list client and called her a ‘serial accuser of people in the entertainment industry.’
Devyn LaBella alleged in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday that she was the victim of a ‘violent, unscripted, unscheduled rape scene’ directed by Kevin Costner in May 2023
Costner’s attorney Marty Singer slammed LaBella as a ‘serial accuser’ as he vehemently denied her claims, which he insisted have ‘absolutely no merit,’ in a statement
James Franco was sued in 2019 over accusations he subjected female students to inappropriate and sexually exploitative behavior at his since-shuttered Studio 4 acting school
In a statement to the Daily Mail, one of LaBella’s attorneys, Cassidy Geoghegan, hit back at Singer, insisting that prior to Tuesday’s suit, LaBella had ‘never filed a lawsuit against anyone, let alone an employer or Hollywood figure.’
But Geoghegan added that LaBella did previously receive ‘tuition reimbursement after a class action settlement was reached against a well-known actor’s acting school.’
The settlement in question related to a lawsuit filed against James Franco and his now-defunct acting school, Studio 4, in which the actor was accused of inappropriate and sexually exploitative behavior by former students, the Daily Mail can reveal.
In court documents, The Disaster Artist star was accused in 2019 of fostering an environment where female students were subjected to exploitation under the guise of education, with enrollees allegedly pressured to perform explicit sex scenes in class.
Some students claimed the potential of landing a role in one of Franco’s films was used to coerce them into complying and participating in increasingly sexual scenes and scenarios, the lawsuit stated.
Franco denied any wrongdoing but eventually settled the case for $2.2million. Roughly $1.3million of that sum was allocated to reimburse tuition costs for students who attended Studio 4 between 2014 and 2017.
In a 2018 L.A. Times article, in which the Franco allegations were first reported, LaBella told the outlet that students were often told smaller roles in Franco’s projects were reserved exclusively for Studio 4 students – but often those roles required extra work or nudity.
‘I didn’t have agency representation at the time, so I thought, “Well, I’m not going to be able to get into good auditions, so this might be my opportunity,”’ LaBella was quoted as saying.
LaBella added that she and other classmates uploaded their auditions to a website, but nobody she knew ever heard back.
It’s unclear how much LaBella recouped from the class action.
But LaBella’s attorney denied Singer’s claims that her client has a negative reputation in Hollywood.
‘She has a glowing track record of consistent professional work, even on Costner’s set,’ said Geoghegan.
‘She reported the incident within 24 hours of it happening and asserted her legal claims within a month of the production wrapping. She has been pursuing these claims consistently ever since and has not wavered in her resolve to have this matter addressed.’
LaBella has denied attempting to ‘shakedown’ Costner in a statement issued through her attorney – but she did have ties to a lawsuit filed against James Franco
‘The facts are clear and we are beyond confident that Kevin will prevail,’ Costner’s attorney concluded; Costner seen in Horizon: An American Saga (2024)
In the lawsuit, LaBella says she was hired as a stunt double for Horizon 2’s lead actress, Ella Hunt, under a SAG agreement. Her job was to stand in for Hunt ‘during physical scenes,’ including performing stunts, per the complaint.
According to LaBella’s complaint, any ‘last-minute requests for nudity or simulated sex’ are not allowed by SAG, and the film’s producers are expected to give 48 hours’ notice of any changes.
The performer’s permission is also required when it comes to any changes related to intimate scenes, and Hunt’s contract mandated having a coordinator on set for all intimacy scenes, the complaint reads.
But on May 2, 2023, LaBella alleges that Costner, the director, improvised a scene in which Hunt’s character would be raped.
Hunt allegedly refused to perform the scene, and LaBella was brought in as a stand-in, without warning, preparation, or consent, and without an intimacy coordinator present, the suit alleges.
According to the complaint, the male actor was directed to mount her, pin her down, and violently hike up her skirt. The set was not closed, the suit states.
LaBella alleges the experience left her humiliated and traumatized.
‘On that day, I was left exposed, unprotected, and deeply betrayed by a system that promised safety and professionalism,’ LaBella said in a statement.
‘What happened to me shattered my trust and forever changed how I move through this industry.’
The suit claims LaBella performed in a scripted rape scene the previous day, which was handled professionally.
In that scene, there were rehearsals, an intimacy coordinator was present, and the set was closed.
LaBella was hired as a stunt double for lead actress Ella Hunt; Hunt seen with Costner in 2024
LaBella claims she was drafted into the alleged rape scene after Hunt left the set crying
Another of LaBella’s attorneys, Kate McFarlane, told the Daily Mail her client’s alleged experience is ‘a clear example of male-dominated, sexist Hollywood movie production.’
‘Our client was subjected to brutal sexual conduct, completely unprotected from the obvious harm,’ McFarlane said.
Costner denied the allegations through his attorney, Marty Singer.
Singer said in a statement to Variety that Costner ‘always wants to make sure that everyone is comfortable working on his films and takes safety on set very seriously.’
Costner’s attorney claimed the scene was explained to LaBella beforehand, and after a rehearsal, she gave a ‘thumbs up’ to her stunt coordinator, indicating her willingness to film the scene ‘if needed (which she was not).’
That evening, according to Singer, LaBella had dinner with the stunt coordinators and was in ‘good spirits,’ and made ‘no complaints to them.’
In further defense of Costner, Singer shared a text message that LaBella allegedly sent to the stunt coordinator after the shoot.
The incident cited by LaBella reportedly unfolded on set in Utah, on May 2, 2023
The message reportedly reads: ‘Thank you for these wonderful weeks! I so appreciate you! I learned so much, and thank you again. I’m really happy it worked out the way it did to. Have a great rest of the shoot and yes talk soon!’
‘The facts are clear and we are beyond confident that Kevin will prevail,’ added Singer.
LaBella was not hired back to work on Horizon 3, which began shooting in May 2024, and has not been hired on any of the stunt coordinators’ other projects, despite regularly working together in the past, the complaint says.
Another of LaBella’s attorneys, James Vagnini, said the issues raised in the complaint are ‘emblematic of what is still a very deep rooted issue in Hollywood.’
‘It’s time for powerful men to stop telling women they abuse how they should feel or react to being abused,’ he said.
‘We’re confident that a jury will see right through these baseless claims and will side with Devyn.’
