Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whitingthe actors who played the young lovers in the adaptation of Romeo and Juliet Frank Zeffirelli In 1968, they filed a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures for an unauthorized nude scene. Hussey and Whiting, who were 15 and 16 respectively at the time of filming, each received a Golden Globe for their performance in the film.
The actors 2018 on the occasion of the restoration of the film (afp)
The two actors, who are now in their 70s, last week filed a lawsuit against Paramount, which produced the film, in Santa Monica, California, for sexually exploiting them when they were minors, with images of their buttocks and breasts. According to the citation consulted by AFP, Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, had been adamant that they shoot the scene or the film would have “failed” when it was originally set to be played in flesh-colored underwear. Those responsible for the film are accused of “illegally filming scenes with naked or semi-nude minors without their consent”.
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The two actors, who allegedly suffered from anxiety and mental distress in the more than fifty years after the film was made, have demanded hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation. According to her attorney, Solomon Gresen, the damage sustained has continued over the years, particularly with the release of a new version of the film. At the moment, Paramount has not commented on the news, while Variety magazine emphasized that Olivia Hussey defended the offending scene in a 2018 interview. “It was necessary for the film,” the actress commented.