The trailer for the movie "Romeo and Juliet" from 1968 (Paramount Pictures)
The stars of the 1968 film "Romeo and Juliet" claim in a new lawsuit that they suffered "sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud" over a nude scene they were "forced" to participate in when they were teenagers.
Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were under 18 when they shot Franco Zappirelli's blockbuster, which earned multiple Oscar nominations — as well as Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.
The 71-year-old Hassey and the 72-year-old Whiting filed the lawsuit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court - in which they accuse the Paramount film company of sexual exploitation and the distribution of a "nude film of minors".
They demand compensation of more than 500 million dollars for the damage caused to them.
This is how they looked then:
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey in the film "Romeo and Juliet" by director Franco Zappirelli from 1968 (Photo: GettyImages, Larry Ellis/Express)
And this is how they look today:
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey, the stars of the movie "Romeo and Juliet", now in their 70s (Photo: GettyImages, Tommaso Bodd)
The film "Romeo and Juliet", an adaptation of the Shakespearean drama of the same name, follows two young lovers from conflicting families.
The Italian director Franco Zeffirelli placed them in a topical context and adapted the tragedy from the late 16th century to the generation of flower children of the late sixties.
To this end, he emphasized the issue of generational gaps, presented a free and sensual sexuality and gave the main roles to two actors who managed to evoke sympathy in the target audience and express the rebellious spirit of the viewers.
But according to the claim of the film's stars, they were allegedly promised that they would not have to be photographed naked - but only with skin-colored underwear - but in recent days on the set it was reported that Zefirli urged them to film a scene with only body makeup, while assuring them that the camera would be positioned in a way that would not show nudity.
However, the actors claim, they were photographed naked without their knowledge - in violation of California and federal laws against indecent exploitation of children, according to the lawsuit.
Zaffirelli told them they had to pose naked "otherwise the film would fail and their careers would be destroyed," the lawsuit states, "the actors believed they had no choice but to pose naked with the required body makeup."
From the nude scene that was allegedly forced on them (Photo: Giphy, Paramount Pictures)
Whiting's bare bottom and Essie's bare chest are briefly shown during the bedroom scene.
At the time of filming, Olivia Hussey was 15 and Leonard Whiting was 16. According to Variety, they "suffered mental anguish and emotional distress for decades" - and that each of them later went on to careers that "did not reflect the success of the film."
The two added that considering their suffering and the income the film has brought since its release, they are entitled to compensation of more than 500 million dollars.
The lawsuit was filed under a California law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse, leading to a slew of new lawsuits and the revival of many other previously dismissed lawsuits.
Hussey Whiting's lawsuit came Friday, just before the Dec. 31 deadline.
They're not alone
Brooke Shields: I was forced to fall in love and be naked with the "Blue Lagoon" star when I was 14
This is the scene in question:
Tony Marinuzzi, the pair's business manager, told Variety that the actors were misled by Zaffirelli, who passed away in 2019.
"What they were told and what actually happened were two different things," he said. Would they have done it already? There are no options. There was no #MeToo back then."
Their lawyer, Solomon Garzan, said that such documentation of minors "is illegal and must not be presented."
He said: "These were very young naive children in the 1960s who didn't understand what was going to happen to them. Suddenly they became famous on a level they didn't expect - and in addition they were abused in a way they didn't know how to deal with."
In previous interviews, Essie actually defended the nudity scene in the film - including in an interview with Variety in 2018, held on the occasion of the film's 50th anniversary, in which she justified Zaffirelli's direction, which was previously considered taboo.
And said: "No one my age had done it before," she said, "It was necessary for the film."
Paramount has so far not responded to the publications.
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