Kevin Costner sued by stunt performer over 'violent and unscripted' rape scene in film

Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.

A stunt performer who was used as the body double for a main character in Kevin Costner's Horizon films is taking the actor and director to court.

The two-time Academy Awards winner wrote, directed and acted in both chapters of Horizon: An American Saga, but in the second of the six-hour long two-part movie, which has another two chapters set to be released, Ella Hunt's character Juliette is disturbingly raped.

There are a few storylines playing out in the movie, but in Juliette's, the Brit is on a trail alongside her husband when he gets murdered by two nefarious thugs they take turns in repeatedly assaulting Juliette.

It is that scene in which performer Devyn LaBella, who was playing Hunt's stunt double in the Western, claims in a 27-page lawsuit filed in a California court that she wasn't informed that she would be taking part in it until she showed up on set.

"On May 2, 2023, plaintiff Devyn LaBella, a female stunt performer, was the victim of a violent unscripted, unscheduled rape scene directed by Kevin Costner," it reads in part.

LaBella also alleges that Hunt was told about the scene and flat out refused, storming off set, and so Costner and his team of co-producers contacted LaBella to ask her to come down to the shoot the scene.

Explaining the day in question, the lawsuit alleges: "Ms. Hunt arrived for her shot as scheduled on May 2. The script only called for Juliette (Ms. Hunt) to mouth the word 'No.'

Devyn LaBella is taking Kevin Costner to court over an alleged 'unscripted rape scene' that she was involved in, in Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 (Michael Bezjian/Getty Images for A Cause for Entertainment)

"However, when Ms. Hunt arrived, she learned that the Director, Defendant Costner, had requested that additional scenes be shot with a different male actor, Mr. Ivens, who had also been cast during pre-production in the Los Angeles area.

"In these new scenes, Mr. Ivens was to climb on top of Ms. Hunt, violently raking up her skirt. 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."

It continued: "Moreover, this revised scene is not specified in the assigned call sheet for that day. The only scenes specified on the call sheet involving Ms. Hunt or Ms. LaBella were the previously stated innocuous scenes where Juliette rifles through the dresser, and a second scene where Sig (Mr. Smith) interacts with the character Juliette.

Kevin Costner's Western passion project Horizon: An American Saga did not go as planned when the first chapters were released last year, taking a hit at the Box Office (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

"No physical action is outlined on the call sheet. There is no closed set specified. There is no mention of Birke (Mr. Ivens) interacting with the Juliette character at any point.

"Crucially, no arrangements were made for Ms. Chaney [intimacy coordinator for the production] or any other intimacy coordinator to be present during filming."

The Horizon series is a passion project of Costner's, who conceded that despite boasting a stellar career, he struggled to get funding for it and ultimately put in a whopping $38 million of his own cash into making the film series.

UNILAD has contacted representatives of Kevin Costner and representatives of Ella Hunt for comment.

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org