Kevin Costner Drama Deepens As Co-Star Sidesteps Scandal

For months, Kevin Costner has been battling a lawsuit that continues to solid a rising shadow over his latest tasks, but those that have labored beside him stay largely silent.

The strain surrounding the actor’s authorized struggle deepened when a longtime “Yellowstone” castmate praised him brazenly, solely to instantly sidestep the very subject dominating headlines.

That awkward second has solely fueled extra curiosity.

Costner’s authorized troubles escalated earlier this yr when stunt performer Devyn LaBella filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles alleging she was “the sufferer of a violent, unscripted, unscheduled rape scene” through the filming of “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2,” a film Costner directed.

Working as a double for actress Ella Hunt, LaBella claimed the expertise left her with a variety of damages, together with sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, hostile work setting, and intentional infliction of emotional misery.

By mid-October, two of her ten claims had been dismissed, one for sexual harassment and one other tied to the Bane Act.

Nonetheless, the remaining allegations depict a troubling image. LaBella asserted that Costner and the defendants “acted despicably and subjected Ms. LaBella to merciless and unjust hardship,” additional accusing them of “malicious, fraudulent, and oppressive conduct.”

Costner has denied the allegations, however the case has stirred intense dialogue throughout the leisure business, particularly as extra particulars emerge.

Whereas the authorized battle beneficial properties traction, Jefferson White, who portrayed Jimmy Hurdstrom for seven seasons on “Yellowstone,” supplied a drastically completely different impression of working alongside Costner.

White described assembly the actor as surreal, explaining to the Daily Mail, “Assembly him, it all the time type of lined up with the character on the present for me that John Dutton in that universe is type of a legend. And to Jimmy, when he meets John Dutton, he is like assembly a residing legend.”

He added that interacting with Costner felt remarkably grounded, saying, “It all the time felt like that, assembly Kevin for me. After which it was additionally superb simply how current he was, how a lot he actually authentically cared.”

Reflecting on Costner’s work ethic, White emphasised, “While you’ve carried out it for that lengthy, you’ll be able to kind of begin phoning it in when you actually wish to, and he by no means did. He actually very authentically cared very a lot.”

White referred to as his on-set experiences a privilege. He shared, “It is like these [scenes] are masterclasses, that is such a present. It is such as you get to catch passes from one of many nice quarterbacks in historical past. It is such a uncommon and valuable alternative.”

He famous Costner’s collaborative nature, sharing that the veteran actor “appreciated to rehearse,” “appreciated to speak by stuff,” and “actually took it very critically,” creating an environment the place “all people on that set beloved it and needed it to be the most effective factor that it may probably be.”

Nevertheless, when the topic turned to the lawsuit, every thing shifted.

Jefferson White’s tone modified instantly when requested concerning the lawsuit dominating headlines.

“I really do not know something about that,” he stated, despite the fact that the case has circulated broadly for seven months.

When informed the go well with concerned a stuntwoman alleging misconduct throughout “Horizon,” White repeated, “I’ve not heard something about this. Yeah, I am unsure.”

It was an abrupt pivot, one which contrasted sharply along with his willingness to talk at size about Costner’s on-set presence.

As an alternative of addressing the controversy, White shifted to praising the stunt workforce he labored with on “Yellowstone.”

He highlighted his main stunt double, Bobby Roberts, stating, “On Yellowstone, I had an unimaginable sequence of stunt males. Bobby Roberts was my main stuntman on Yellowstone as a result of he was an actual bronc rider. So anytime I needed to do a bucking sequence on that present, that was nearly all the time Bobby Roberts.”

White added, “Typically you are pretending to get shot. Typically someone a lot braver than you is getting shot. They do it with all types of tips.”

The interview arrived at a second of main transition.

“Yellowstone” formally led to 2024 after reported stress between Costner and sequence creator Taylor Sheridan, reportedly over scheduling points and artistic variations.

Nonetheless, the franchise lives on. Prequels “1883” and “1923” expanded Sheridan’s universe, and one other sequel, “Y: Marshals,” is ready to debut in March 2026.

As for whether or not followers may see Jefferson White reprise his position in a derivative, he stated, “Not that I do know of now… I stored my fingers crossed, but in addition, I would be grateful if I acquired to do extra and I am grateful for what I acquired to do. I do not wish to be egocentric. We acquired lots of nice mileage out of that present.”

White described his time on the hit sequence as life-altering, evaluating it to “successful the lottery,” and noting that acting on a present for seven years is a “uncommon and fortunate factor.”

Since leaving “Yellowstone,” he has already filmed 11 films and is getting ready to look as Mr. McCoy in “The Starvation Video games: Dawn on the Reaping.”