Argentinian actress Olivia Hussey and her London colleague Leonard Whiting were still teenagers when they starred in the 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet”, directed by Italian Franco Zeffirelli (1923-2019). The production was nominated for four Oscars, but sparked controversy 55 years ago. An intimate scene featured Whiting’s buttocks and Hussey’s bare torso.
As it became known, the 71-year-old Hussey and Whiting (72) filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles at the end of 2022, in which they accuse the responsible Hollywood studio Paramount of sexually exploiting them and distributing nude pictures of adolescent children.
$500 million claim
It alleges that Zeffirelli assured both of them that there would be no nudity and that they would be wearing flesh-colored underwear in the said scene. But in the final days of shooting, he allegedly begged her to act naked with her body made up, “otherwise the film would fail.”
Hussey was 15 and Whiting was 16. The lawsuit accuses Zeffirelli of deception and lying. Hussey and Whiting have also suffered mental anguish and emotional distress and lost job opportunities since the film’s release.
They are seeking damages estimated at more than $500 million. The lawsuit alleges a California statute that temporarily extended the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims until December 31. Yesterday, the Zeffirelli Foundation defended the late director’s actions: “The love scene is as far removed from pornography as one can imagine.”
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Source: Nachrichten
