The stumbling block was more than half a century ago. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were both teenagers when they were briefly seen naked in Romeo and Juliet. 55 years later, they are taking the film production to court - because of "mental anguish and emotional suffering".
Romeo and Juliet stars Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting have filed a lawsuit against Paramount in Santa Monica Superior Court. The two accuse the company of sexually exploiting them and disseminating nude photos of teenage children. As “Variety” further reports, it is specifically about a nude scene in the 1968 film.
Hussey, now 71, and Whiting, now 72, were teenagers during the filming, directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The film was a hit and was nominated for four Oscars. At the same time, it sparked controversy over a bedroom scene that showed Whiting's bottom and Hussey's bare breasts.
The current lawsuit alleges that Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, assured the two actors at the time that there would be no nudity in the film. In the bedroom scene, they would rather be wearing nude underwear. But during the final days of shooting, the director asked the duo to appear naked and with body make-up, "otherwise the film would fail."
Hussey was 15 at the time and Whiting was 16. According to the lawsuit, Zeffirelli told the two where the camera would be positioned. In addition, the director assured the actors that no nudity would be photographed or displayed in the film. However, according to the lawsuit, Zeffirelli was not telling the truth, so Whiting and Hussey were actually filmed nude without their knowledge.
"What they were told and what actually happened are two different things," said Tony Marinozzi, who acts as manager for the two actors. "They trusted Franco. At 16, as an actor, they relied on him not to betray that trust. Franco was their friend, and frankly what are they doing at 16? There was no other option. There wasn't
According to the lawsuit, Hussey and Whiting have endured "mental anguish and emotional distress" in the 55 years since the film's release. They would have had no more job opportunities. The two are now demanding damages, which should amount to over 500 million dollars (about 472 million euros).
"Nude pictures of minors are illegal and should not be exhibited," the actors' lawyer, Solomon Gresen, said in an interview. "These were very young, naïve kids in the 1960s who didn't know what was in store for them. Suddenly they were famous to a degree they didn't expect. They were also hurt in ways they couldn't knew how to handle."
The lawsuit relies in part on a California law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for older child sex abuse claims. The courts recorded an onslaught of lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Church, among other organizations, in the days leading up to December 31, 2022. Paramount has not yet responded.
