The stars of 1968’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ are suing for the nude scene they filmed when they were 15 and 16.
Olivia Hussey, 71, and Leonard Whiting, 72, filed a lawsuit in Santa Monica Superior Court on Friday accusing the studio of sexual harassment, fraud, sexual abuse and intentionally inflicting emotional distress.
Hussey and Whiting say director Franco Zeffirelli originally told them there would be no nudity in the film, but on the last day of shooting he reportedly said the film would fail unless they performed a nude scene with body makeup on.
The couple are seeking damages “estimated at over $500 million.”
Olivia Hussey, 71, and Leonard Whiting, 72, filed a lawsuit in Santa Monica Superior Court on Friday
The couple have accused the studio of sexual harassment, cheating, sexual abuse and intentionally inflicting emotional distress
The lawsuit also alleges the couple were filmed nude without their knowledge.
“What they were told and what happened were two different things,” Tony Marinozzi, a managing director for the actors, said in a statement.
“You trusted Franco. At 16, as an actor, they assumed he wouldn’t violate that trust they had,” the manager said.
“Franco was her boyfriend and to be honest, what are you going to do when you’re 16?” Marinozzi added in a statement to the outlet. “There are no options. There was no #MeToo.”
The suit claims Zefrelli showed the actors where the camera would be placed, but that no nudity would be filmed or released.
Hussey and Whiting thought “they had no choice but to play nude with body makeup on the last day of shooting, as was requested.”
The lawsuit also alleges the couple were filmed nude without their knowledge
The film was released in 1968 to great acclaim
Hussey and Whiting say director Franco Zeffirelli originally told them there would be no nudity in the film
The lawsuit also alleges the couple were filmed nude without their knowledge
In a statement to Variety, Solomon Gresen, the couple’s attorney, said the actors were “very young, naive kids in their ’60s who didn’t understand what was about to hit them.”
The couple said the scene caused them long-term financial, physical and emotional pain.
The film also cost Hussey and Whiting “a lifetime of lost income and other employment benefits and employment opportunities,” according to the complaint.
“All of a sudden, they were famous at a level they never expected, and they were also being abused in ways they didn’t know how to handle,” Gresen said.
The $500 million in damages the couple is seeking is equal to the amount the film has earned since its release in 1968.
The couple said the scene caused them long-term financial, physical and emotional pain
The film also cost Hussey and Whiting “a lifetime of lost income and other employment benefits and employment opportunities,” according to the complaint.
The $500 million in damages the couple is seeking is equal to the amount the film has earned since its release in 1968
In a 2018 interview, Hussey claimed Zerffirelli referred to her as “Boobs O’Mina” and that he admitted she was the unrequited love of his life.
At the time, Hussey also said she loved playing Juliet but that the press was “tiring.”
According to Variety, the actors’ lawsuit is based on a California law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse claims.
This law had a deadline of December 31, 2022.
In a 2018 interview, Hussey claimed that Zerffirelli referred to her as “Boobs O’Mina”.
According to Variety, the actors’ lawsuit is based on a California law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse claims
Hussey and Whiting thought “they had no choice but to play nude with body makeup on the last day of shooting, as requested on the last day of shooting.”