Latest news with #stuntwoman
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Kevin Costner sued by stuntwoman Devyn LaBella over ‘violent & unscripted' rape scene in new Western movie Horizon
KEVIN Costner has been accused of making a stuntwoman perform a "violent and unscripted" rape scene in his latest Western film. Devyn LaBella, 34, has sued the Hollywood star and director for allegedly instructing an actor to pin her down and simulate rape without any formal warning or a rehearsal. 7 7 7 Costner, 70, was acting as well as directing on set for the 2024 movie Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, at the time. He has denied all the allegations. LaBella, who played the stunt double for actress Ella Hunt in Horizon, had featured in several scenes during the 2023 filming schedule. One of these included a planned sexual assault scene on May 1, the suit says. LaBella, a former gymnast, says she happily agreed to these scenes due to the proper protocol being taken both before and during filming. These including regular meetings, rehearsals, minimal crew members on set and the presence of an intimacy co-ordinator at all times. But a day later, LaBella alleges in the lawsuit that she was asked to return to set and take part in an unscripted scene involving sexual violence. Costner is accused of directing a fellow actor to pin down LaBella on a wagon before simulating rape. The lawsuit also claims Costner demanded several retakes. The scene was initiated with no warning, rehearsal or choreography, according to the stuntwoman. Kevin Costner poses with five of his children at 'really special' Horizon premiere as fans praise 'beautiful family' She also claims there was no indication of when the cameras were rolling during the scenes. A line in the suit reads: 'There was no escaping the situation, and all Ms LaBella could do was wait for the nightmare to end." The Los Angeles lawsuit also names the production companies involved as defendants as well as Costner. Kate McFarlane, the lawyer representing LaBella, described it as a 'clear example of male-dominated, sexist Hollywood movie production'. She added: 'Our client was subjected to brutal sexual conduct, completely unprotected from the obvious harm." The lawsuit also claims LaBella was met with 'continuous reminders of the shame, humiliation and complete lack of control' she had on set for the remainder of filming. This caused her to experience "sudden bouts of crying on and off set', it continued. 7 As well as denying the allegations, Marty Singer, Costner's lawyer, argued that LaBella was well informed of the scene in advance and had consented to it. Singer says LaBella did not make any complaints at the time either on set or to her supervisors afterwards. 'She continued to work on the movie for a few more weeks until her wrap date, and she took the stunt co-ordinator to a thank-you dinner," he added. LaBella has been a Hollywood stunt performer since 2020. She is now seeking damages in an amount to be determined at trial. The suit is also looking for a public apology to the stuntwoman, the defendants to undergo sexual harassment training and them to be required to use an intimacy co-ordinator on all future productions.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Kevin Costner sued over ‘unscripted' rape scene
Kevin Costner, the Hollywood actor and director, is being sued by a stuntwoman for allegedly subjecting her to a violent and unscripted rape scene. Devyn LaBella, the stunt double for Ella Hunt, the lead actress in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, claims Costner, 70, instructed another actor to pin her down and simulate rape without prior rehearsal or warning. Ms LaBella, 34, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday naming Costner – the film's director – and production companies as defendants. The lawsuit reads: 'The impact of this impromptu work demand on Ms LaBella has been profound, not only upending a career Ms LaBella spent years building but leaving her with permanent trauma that she will be required to address for years to come.' Kate McFarlane, the lawyer representing Ms LaBella, described the case as a 'clear example of male-dominated, sexist Hollywood movie production'. 'Our client was subjected to brutal sexual conduct, completely unprotected from the obvious harm,' she said. Costner has denied the allegations. Marty Singer, Costner's lawyer, said Ms LaBella was a 'serial accuser' and that her claims are 'completely contradicted by her open actions and the facts'. The lawsuit states Ms LaBella, a former gymnast, had acted as a stunt double throughout the Western film. Ms LaBella's work on the film included a planned sexual assault scene, filmed on May 1, 2023. Ms LaBella took part in the scene and protocols were followed, including meetings, rehearsals, the presence of an intimacy co-ordinator and minimal crew. However, the following day, it is claimed that in an unscripted scene that was initiated with allegedly no warning, rehearsal or choreography, Costner is said to have directed an actor to pin Ms LaBella down on a wagon and simulate rape. The lawsuit claims Costner demanded several takes and did not make it clear when filming was beginning or ending. 'There was no escaping the situation, and all Ms LaBella could do was wait for the nightmare to end,' the lawsuit alleges. It claims that safeguards were ignored in violation of union contracts and industry standards. Shame and humiliation The lawsuit claims Ms LaBella's remaining time on the production were 'continuous reminders of the shame, humiliation and complete lack of control she had experienced during the May 2 filming' and that 'she experienced sudden bouts of crying on and off set'. The lawsuit seeks damages in an amount to be determined at the trial. It also seeks a judge's order for the defendants to undergo sexual harassment training, to be required to use an intimacy co-ordinator on future productions and to issue Ms LaBella a public apology. Mr Singer has argued that Ms LaBella, who has worked as a Hollywood stunt performer since 2020, with credits including Barbie and Yellowjackets, was well informed of the scene in advance and had consented to it. 'Shake-down tactics' In a statement, Mr Singer said: 'The scene in question was explained to Ms LaBella, and after she performed the rehearsal in character with another actor, she gave her stunt co-ordinator supervisor a 'thumbs up' and indicated her willingness to then shoot the scene, if needed (which she was not).' 'That night, Ms LaBella had dinner with her supervisor, the stunt co-ordinator, and with the assistant stunt co-ordinator, and she was in good spirits and made no complaints to them. 'She continued to work on the movie for a few more weeks until her wrap date, and she took the stunt co-ordinator to a thank-you dinner.' He added Ms LaBella's 'shake-down tactics won't work in this case'.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Motorcycle stuntwoman on being Scarlett Johansson's double, Hollywood, and having no fear
When Sarah Lezito began messing around with motorbikes at 13 she never dreamed that one day she would become the stunt double of some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Advertisement The French winemaker's daughter has stood in for Scarlett Johansson on Avengers 2 and Black Widow, and appeared in a dozen films including The Batman. The 32-year-old is one of a rare breed of motorcycle stuntwomen, with a massive social media following that helped take her from the vineyards of France's Champagne region to Hollywood. Today, she is on her own personal training track amid vineyards near Épernay, the Champagne capital in northeast France. Barely astride her Kawasaki, she is off down the track performing stunts with disconcerting dexterity, her long brown hair trailing out of her helmet in the wind. Motorcycle stunt rider Sarah Lezito stands on her Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R on her private track near Epernay, in eastern France. Photo: AFP 'This is kind of my temple,' she says after performing a series of tricks including standing with both feet on top of her 200kg (440lb) machine and flipping herself onto the handlebars.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Stuntwoman suing Kevin Costner over rape scene hits back as her legal win in another A-lister case is used against 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.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Meet Sarah Lezito, the French farm girl who became Hollywood's top motorcycle stunt double with 30 million fans
EPERNAY, May 29 — When Sarah Lezito began messing around with motorbikes at 13 she never dreamed that one day she would become the stunt double of some of Hollywood's biggest stars. The French winemaker's daughter has stood in for Scarlett Johansson — twice — on Avengers 2 and Black Widow and appeared in a dozen films including The Batman. The 32-year-old is one of a very rare breed of motorcycle stuntwomen, with a massive social media following that helped bring her from the vineyards of France's Champagne region to Hollywood. AFP caught up with her on her own personal training track amid the otherwise tranquil vineyards near Epernay, the Champagne capital in northeast France. Barely astride her red chrome Kawasaki, she was off down the track performing stunts with disconcerting dexterity, her long brown hair trailing out of her helmet in the wind. 'This is kind of my temple,' she said after performing a series of gravity-defying tricks including standing with both feet on top of her 200-kilo (440-pound) machine and then flipping herself onto the handlebars. 'People think I'm working, but it mostly allows me to release all the pressure,' said Lezito, whose lucky charm — a plastic beaded bracelet — is wrapped around the throttle of her bike. 'Doing wheelies in a field' The woman now popularly known as the 'world stunt champion' (although there is no recognised world championship) began her acrobatics career young on the family holding near Epernay. 'I fell into stunts by watching videos,' she told AFP. 'No one in my family was in the motor sports world. My father only had an agricultural quad, not at all made for sports, but I started trying to do wheelies with it in a field.' Then she began posting her stunt videos on YouTube. The French winemaker's daughter has stood in for Scarlett Johansson — twice — on 'Avengers 2' and 'Black Widow'. — AFP pic But she seemed destined to follow her family into wine and viticulture until she posted a video of a medley of tricks one day in March 2013 called 'One out of Billion Girls'. 'It was thanks to this video that they noticed me,' she said. The 'they' being the team from the Hollywood blockbuster Avengers 2. A few months later, she abandoned her winemaking studies to fly to South Korea to perform Johansson's stunts in the movie. Because she 'adapted quickly' to stunt work, Lezito decided to go professional, appearing in several major movies, including Inferno, Millennium and The Batman with Zoe Kravitz. 'I met all the actresses I've doubled for,' she said. 30 million followers She has had her moments on some of the movies, although she insists she has never felt fear on those she does 'at home' for social media. 'I had to ride through flames for 'Bad Girl', a film which was never released. On paper, it was very simple, but I didn't have a helmet,' she recalled. And in the summer of 2023 while filming David Fincher's The Killer in Paris, starring Michael Fassbender, Lezito had a severe fall. 'I flew off the motorcycle, I wasn't going very fast but fast enough to land on my head and the helmet cracked.' She ended up in the emergency room with a head injury. It 'made her think', she told AFP, and she 'decided to take a break' and put her Hollywood career on hold. Lezito now devotes herself to her social media channels, posting videos of her stunts to her more than 30 million followers — including 9.5 million on Instagram, some two million more than MotoGP star Marc Marquez. Her garage doubles as a studio, with her YouTube trophies and gifts from her fans displayed on the walls. But it is also where she gets her hands dirty repairing her fleet of roughly 10 motorcycles. 'As long as I enjoy sitting on the motorcycle, I'll keep doing this,' she said. — AFP
