The actors of Romeo and Julietthe classic 1968 film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Paramount Pictures sued for sexual exploitation. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of Santa Monica, California, accusing the producer of multiple charges, including sexual abuse, fraud and distribution of nude images of minors. The protagonists of the film claim that were filmed naked without their knowledge.
In accordance with VarietyHussey and Whiting, who were minors at the time of filming, were convinced that a nude scene would not be filmed. Franco Zeffirelli would have promised them that there would be no nudity and skin-colored garments would be worn. Later, the director changed his mind and told them that the film would fail unless they decided to shoot a scene without clothes.
The lawsuit against Paramount is based on a four-minute scene in which Hussey and Whiting wake up together. The actor, barely 16 years old, shows his buttocks while he lies naked on the bed and when he gets up. For her part, 15-year-old Olivia Hussey bares her breasts for a split second during a pivotal moment. According to the plaintiffs, Zeffirelli I would have implored them to shoot the scene under these conditions and wearing body makeup
Tony Marinozzi, agent for both actors, told Variety what what they were promised and what happened were different things. “They trusted Franco [Zeffirelli]. At 16, as actors, they took his initiative that he would not violate that trust they had. Franco was his friend, and frankly, at 16, what do they do? There are no options. There was no #MeToo,” he mentioned.
The actors of Romeo and Juliet suffered emotional distress for 55 years
On the other hand, Solomon Gresen, a lawyer for Hussey and Whiting, mentioned that the actors were young and naive and were unaware of what would happen to them. “Suddenly, they became famous at a level they never expected, and on top of that, they were raped in a way that they didn’t know how to handle,” he said.
The lawsuit against Paramount states that the actors suffered mental and emotional anguish for the past 55 years. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting would have been something of a one hit wondersince they were never able to capitalize on the success of Romeo and Juliet. According to the document filed in Court, both had a life of lost income and other employment benefits and job opportunities.
The trajectory of both after Romeo and Juliet It is to analyze. Olivia Hussey had a part in Black Christmasconsidered together with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as one of the first of the “slasher” genre from which films such as Halloween, Friday the 13th Y Nightmare on Elm Street. The actress was also part of the cast of the miniseries Item 1990, based on the Stephen King novel.
Although Hussey was active for decades, none of his works achieved recognition similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. For Leonard Whiting things went worse, since his career was limited to the odd appearance on film and television. The Actor’s profile on IMDB shows a gap of 15 years without participating in any film.
The lawsuit is based on a California law that suspended the statute of limitations for prior child sexual abuse claims. Actors seek compensation for damages that would amount to 500 million dollarsestimated figure of collection of Romeo and Juliet To the date.