Kevin Costner just got slapped with a lawsuit over a rogue, unscripted rape scene—and Hollywood's already choking on its popcorn. Devyn LaBella, a stunt double on Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2, dropped the legal bomb: She claims Costner directed a simulated assault with zero warning, no intimacy coordinator, and absolutely deranged disregard for basic union rules. The internet? Already in bonfire mode.
The Nerve—What's Actually Different Here?
Let's talk brass tacks: the lawsuit, filed May 27, 2025, by LaBella (via The Hollywood Reporter), accuses Costner of blowing past SAG-AFTRA protocols that literally require 48 hours' notice, explicit performer consent, and a professional intimacy coordinator for any scene involving nudity or simulated sex. That's not a suggestion. That's law on a union set. LaBella's detail: She was called in after actress Ella Hunt said a hard “no” to an improvised rape scene Costner added on the fly. Costner's team? Denying everything—claiming LaBella gave a thumbs up and even dined with crew afterwards.
And here's the really wild detail: The day before this guerrilla scene, LaBella had filmed a scripted, prepped, fully regulated rape sequence—closed set, rehearsals, licensed coordinator, the works. So what changed in 24 hours? Allegedly: everything.
Like a Netflix rewrite by David Lynch—except no one gave LaBella the script.
Flashback: When Has Hollywood Pulled This Before?
You've seen Last Tango in Paris cited every time intimacy and consent goes off the rails on a film set—remember the infamous butter scene? But let's modernize: In 2018, HBO mandated intimacy coordinators after Westworld and The Deuce drew fire for mishandled sex scenes. Emily Meade, who led the charge for consent on The Deuce, told The New Yorker, “There was no one protecting us.” Sound familiar? Even the recent Rust shooting forced the industry to re-examine on-set safety, but this—alleged springing of a simulated rape, with witnesses—launches the horror into “deranged déjà vu” territory.
A rival stunt coordinator from a separate production put it bluntly:
“The only thing worse than no choreography is surprise choreography—especially when careers and trauma are at stake.”
– via IndieWire, Jan 2023
Who's Lying—and Does it Even Matter?
Costner's lawyer says LaBella never protested, texted thanks, and even joined for dinner that night—but trauma and pressure don't always play out on a linear timeline, especially in the code-of-silence culture of big-budget sets. Crew members reportedly apologized to LaBella. She claims she waited in costume for days, never called to shoot again. The production says: open-and-shut, nothing to see here.
But here's the uncomfortable truth: Hollywood's etiquette for sex and violence hasn't caught up with its PR. The requirement for formal consent and 48-hour notice should have killed eruptions like this. Yet here we are, with a lawsuit hotter than a box office flop and more receipts waiting to drop.
Genius move by Costner—or irredeemable sabotage? You decide.
