Oscar-winning actor and director Kevin Costner is at the centre of a major Hollywood scandal after being slapped with a lawsuit by a stuntwoman on his new Western epic, 'Horizon: An American Saga'.
The legal filing alleges that the woman, identified only as Jane Doe, was abruptly fired from the production after reporting serious distress over the filming of a graphic simulated rape scene. The incident is said to have occurred in May 2023 during production on the first of Costner's four planned films in the franchise.
A Traumatic On-Set Experience
According to the suit, the plaintiff was tasked with performing a 'rape-adjacent' stunt. The legal documents claim the experience was far more intense and violent than what had been described to her beforehand, leaving her physically and emotionally shaken.
The stuntwoman alleges she was not given a safe word to stop the action and that the scene deviated significantly from what was outlined in the script and pre-filming discussions. She reported her concerns to the production's intimacy coordinator, stating the experience was 'not what she bargained for'.
Allegations of Retaliation
The core of the lawsuit hinges on a claim of wrongful termination and retaliation. Just days after she formally reported her distress to the production's intimacy coordinator and the SAG-AFTRA union, she was dismissed from the project.
The legal claim asserts the production, and Costner personally, failed to provide a safe working environment. It further states that her firing was a direct result of her complaint, an action she believes was intended to silence her and discourage others from speaking out.
Costner's Camp Fires Back
A representative for Kevin Costner has vehemently denied the allegations, characterising the lawsuit as 'utterly meritless'. In a strongly worded rebuttal, his spokesperson stated that the plaintiff's own actions on set were the reason for her dismissal.
'She was not dismissed for reporting a complaint,' the statement read. 'She was dismissed for her own actions on set, which included complaining about a scene she read for and knew about from the beginning.' The defence paints a picture of an unprofessional actor, alleging she was 'difficult' and even 'antagonistic' towards the intimacy coordinator hired to protect her.
This legal battle casts a shadow over the launch of 'Horizon', a pet project into which Costner has invested millions of his own fortune. The dispute highlights the ongoing and sensitive conversations around actor safety and the protocols for filming intense scenes in the modern film industry.
