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The water polo phenom accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing and racially tormenting a black teammate at an elite Los Angeles private school is the son of a Hollywood director who has worked on blockbuster films including “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Castaway,” according to a new report.

Lucca van der Woude — a former Harvard-Westlake School standout once considered a future Olympic prospect — is the son of longtime film assistant director Thomas “Basti” van der Woude, the Daily Mail reported.

The elder van der Woude has worked on dozens of major productions over the past three decades including “Fast & Furious 5,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Battleship,” and the AMC television series “Fear the Walking Dead.”


  Lucca van der Woude is the son of longtime film assistant director Thomas “Basti” van der Woude,
 Lucca van der Woude is the son of longtime film assistant director Thomas “Basti” van der Woude,

  Harvard-Westlake is a $52,000-a-year private school in the Hollywood Hills. MediaNews Group via Getty Images Harvard-Westlake is a $52,000-a-year private school in the Hollywood Hills. MediaNews Group via Getty Images

The filmmaker — known professionally as Basti — won a Director’s Guild of America award in 2016 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement as part of the team behind the HBO film “Bessie.”

Van der Woude’s mother, Nilda, allegedly served as the water polo team’s “team mom,” coordinating logistics and communications for parents — a role that the lawsuit claims helped cement the younger van der Woude’s standing on the squad, the Daily Mail reported.

The titanic allegations against the athlete surfaced in the suit filed last week by former teammate Aidan Romain, who claims he was subjected to months of racist harassment and sexual abuse while playing on Harvard-Westlake’s elite team.

Romain — the only black player on the team — alleges van der Woude repeatedly hurled racial slurs and sexually assaulted him during practices and team activities while they were minors at the ultra-exclusive school in the Hollywood Hills.

Van der Woude was arrested on campus in February 2024 and later admitted in juvenile court to sexual penetration of a minor with a foreign object, The Post previously reported.

The lawsuit also names another player — Connor Kim, now a water polo athlete at Harvard Univeristy — as participating in racially abusive behavior toward Romain, the Daily Mail reported.

“The statements made in the complaint about Connor Kim are false. Although Connor is not a named defendant in this case, it’s important to point out that these claims and the assertion that he admitted to wrongdoing are simply not true.” said Lillian Chu, Kim’s attorney.

In one alleged incident detailed in the complaint, teammates whipped Romain with exercise bands in what the lawsuit described as a degrading “re-enactment of slavery.”


  The filmmaker — known professionally as Basti — won a Director’s Guild of America award in 2016 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement as part of the team behind the HBO film “Bessie.” Getty Images The filmmaker — known professionally as Basti — won a Director’s Guild of America award in 2016 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement as part of the team behind the HBO film “Bessie.” Getty Images

  Romain ultimately left the US to continue training in Europe after the alleged abuse. Instagram/@aidanromain Romain ultimately left the US to continue training in Europe after the alleged abuse. Instagram/@aidanromain

The suit claims school officials and coaches were repeatedly alerted to the abuse but failed to take meaningful action.

Harvard-Westlake has disputed these claims, saying it treated reports of misconduct seriously and complied with man datory reporting obligations.


  The suit claims school officials and coaches were repeatedly alerted to the abuse but failed to take meaningful action.
 The suit claims school officials and coaches were repeatedly alerted to the abuse but failed to take meaningful action.

  Romain ultimately left the US to continue training in Europe after the alleged abuse.
 Romain ultimately left the US to continue training in Europe after the alleged abuse.

Meanwhile, longtime Harvard-Westlake water polo coach Jack Grover is under investigation by the US Center for SafeSport over allegations he failed to properly report abuse claims, the Daily Mail reported.

The lawsuit further alleges van der Woude violated a court-ordered no-contact order 23 times by appearing at the same water polo events as Romain, according to the outlet.

Romain ultimately left the US to continue training in Europe after the alleged abuse. Now, Romain has told ABC Eyewitness News he wants to return to America to attend an Ivy League school before hopefully representing the US in the Olympics.

Van der Woude’s lawyer told Eyewitness News that the allegations will be addressed in court, and they have no intention to “litigate this matter in the media.”

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