The intimacy coordinator on “Horizon 2” wrote a two-page report documenting lapses in protocols during filming of an unscripted rape scene.
Devyn LaBella, a stunt performer, sued Kevin Costner — the director, writer, star, financier and producer of the film — last month, alleging that she was shaken and humiliated after being forced to perform in the scene without warning.
The report, written by Celeste Chaney, cited “numerous problems” with the scene, including that no intimacy coordinator was present, LaBella was not given “modesty garments,” and she did not consent to Costner’s impromptu direction.
“She was put ‘on the spot,’ placed in a vulnerable, compromising situation and then asked if she was ‘okay to continue’ with everyone standing by,” Chaney wrote in the report.
LaBella sued Costner and the production for sexual harassment, discrimination and infliction of emotional distress. LaBella was the stunt performer for Ella Hunt, the actor who portrayed “Juliette” in the film. According to the lawsuit, Hunt walked off set rather than perform in the scene, which was not in the script.
LaBella was then asked to stand-in. Costner then directed an actor to climb up on top of her, unbotton his pants, and rake up her skirt, the lawsuit states.
Chaney’s report is attached to an amended complaint filed June 18.
In it, she concluded that “appropriate protocols were abandoned,” and urged the production to include an intimacy coordinator in the planning of any “hyper-exposed” or vulnerable scenes.
“Intimacy coordinators should always be on set for these scenes to safeguard and support the actors, help the director achieve their vision and protect the production,” Chaney wrote.
The amended complaint also includes text messages between LaBella and Chaney after the incident. In one, LaBella states that the line producer apologized to her, saying that Costner “needs to be brought up to the current times.”
LaBella alleges that she suffered career consequences for speaking up, and has not been hired by the stunt coordinator since that production in May 2023.
Costner has denied the allegations through his attorney, Marty Singer. In a statement in response to the lawsuit, Singer alleged that LaBella gave a “thumbs up” after the rehearsal, and that later on, she was in “good spirits.”
The amended suit accuses Singer of seeking to further destroy her career by branding her a “serial accuser” in response to the lawsuit.
“Once the line is crossed, there is no real choice left to make,” LaBella said in a statement. “I spoke up immediately. And for that, I was met with silence, deflection, and efforts to discredit me. This case is not just about what happened to me. It’s about a broken system that protects those in power and punishes those who speak out.”
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