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

The stress surrounding the actor’s authorized combat deepened when a longtime “Yellowstone” castmate praised him overtly, solely to right away sidestep the very matter dominating headlines.

That awkward second has solely fueled extra curiosity.

Costner’s authorized troubles escalated earlier this 12 months 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 spread of damages, together with sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, hostile work atmosphere, 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 inside the leisure trade, particularly as extra particulars emerge.

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

White described assembly the actor as surreal, explaining to the Every day Mail, “Assembly him, it at all times form of lined up with the character on the present for me that John Dutton in that universe is form 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 at all times 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, “If you’ve executed it for that lengthy, you may kind of begin phoning it in when you actually need to, and he by no means did. He actually very authentically cared very a lot.”

White known 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 treasured alternative.”

He famous Costner’s collaborative nature, sharing that the veteran actor “preferred to rehearse,” “preferred to speak by way of 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 very best factor that it might probably be.”

Nonetheless, when the topic turned to the lawsuit, all the pieces shifted.

Jefferson White’s tone modified instantly when requested in regards to the lawsuit dominating headlines.

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

When instructed the swimsuit 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 unbelievable collection 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 at all times Bobby Roberts.”

White added, “Typically you are pretending to get shot. Typically anyone 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 pressure between Costner and collection creator Taylor Sheridan, reportedly over scheduling points and inventive 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 would possibly see Jefferson White reprise his position in a derivative, he stated, “Not that I do know of now… I saved my fingers crossed, but additionally, I would be grateful if I obtained to do extra and I am grateful for what I obtained to do. I do not need to be egocentric. We obtained plenty of nice mileage out of that present.”

White described his time on the hit collection as life-altering, evaluating it to “profitable 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 motion pictures and is getting ready to seem as Mr. McCoy in “The Starvation Video games: Dawn on the Reaping.”