- Steven McIntosh
- BBC Entertainment Journalist
image source, Getty Images
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey were 16 and 15 years old respectively when they filmed “Romeo and Juliet.”
The actors who starred in the 1968 version of “Romeo and Juliet” directed by Franco Zeffirelli sued Paramount on Friday for “sexual abuse”, “sexual harassment” and “fraud” for a nude scene included in the film.
Leonard Whiting y Olivia Hussey they were 16 and 15 years old respectively when they participated in the film.
Now both stars, aged 71 and 70, assure that Director Franco Zeffirelli encouraged them to do the scene nude despite having previously guaranteed them that they would not have to go through it, and they claim the studio US$500 million in damages.
The judicial file shows that the British suffered emotional damage and mental anguish for decades, and that it also affected them professionally, since since the premiere of the film they saw their job offers limited.
Paramount has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
“Cheated”
The actors argue that Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, promised them that they would wear underwear the color of their skin in the bed scene.
But they add that the morning of the start of filming begged them to perform naked with body makeup arguing that if they didn’t, the film would flop.
image source, Getty Images
Whiting and Hussey, 72 and 71, say they suffered emotional and professional consequences for years and are seeking $500 million in damages.
They also said that the director assured them that the camera would be positioned in such a way that it would not capture certain parts of their naked bodies, and that they “they thought they had no choice” to follow the directions.
However, Whiting’s behind and Hussey’s breasts can be briefly seen in the film.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs blame Zeffirelli primarily for the “deception,” but claim that Paramount “knew or should have known that the images of the plaintiffs’ naked bodies were secretly and illegally captured during filming”.
And therefore, lawyers for both claim that the scene violated California and federal laws once morest indecency and child exploitation.
The legal action was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court under a California law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations for child sexual abusewhich has led to a number of new lawsuits and the reactivation of many others that were previously dismissed.
“I’m afraid they won’t believe them”
Tony Marinozzi, business manager for the two actors, told the BBC that the director and studio had “betrayed” them.
The couple were unable to take legal action sooner for fear of potential consequences to their careers and not being believed, he added.
“Simply there was no way they would tell that story at that time and have people listen to them“, he explained.
“Today we see movements like the #MeToo and other platforms, but at the time there was just no way to tell that story, and it’s something they’ve had to live with and probably struggle with their whole lives.”
image source, Getty Images
Zeffirelli’s “Romeo and Juliet” was nominated for four Oscars in 1968 and won two, for best cinematography and costumes.
“Images of nude minors are illegal and should not be displayed,” Solomon Gresen, the couple’s lawyer, added in a statement on Tuesday.
“In the 1960s they were very young, kids who didn’t understand what was regarding to happen to them. Suddenly they became famous on a level they would never expect and they were raped in such a way that they didn’t know how to deal with it,” he added.
In an interview given to Variety magazine in 2018, Hussey defended the nude scene.
“No one my age had ever done that before,” he said, adding that Zeffirelli tastefully filmed it. “It was necessary for the movie.”
In another interview that same year with Fox News, he said that it was a “taboo” scene in the US, but that nudity was common in European films at the time.
“It wasn’t a big problem,” he said. “And Leonard wasn’t shy at all! In the middle of filming, I totally forgot he wasn’t wearing any clothes.”
The movie was a great success at the time and has been shown to generations of students analyzing Shakespeare’s work ever since.
It was nominated for four awards. Oscarincluding best director and best picture, and won two, for best cinematography and best costume design.
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