Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, the stars of the 1968 classic, Romeo and JulietThey just sued Paramount Pictures for alleged sexual exploitation. The actors filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of Santa Monica, California, accusing the producer of sexual abuse, fraud and distribution of images of naked minors as they guaranteed they would be filmed nude without their consent.
According to an article in Variety, both were underage when they made the film, and director Franco Zeffirelli had promised them that there would be no nude scenes in the film, instead wearing flesh-colored clothing. The director then changed his mind and decided to add a real scene to amaze the audience even more.
SEE: A young couple committed suicide like Romeo and Juliet because their families would not let them marry.
The scene the suit is based on is one where the characters appear in bed together. Whiting was 16 at the time and still showed his butt to the audience as soon as he stood up. Hussey meanwhile showed her breasts for a few seconds. The director insisted on shooting this scene under these conditions.
Tony Marinozzi, agent for both actors, told Variety that the director fooled them: “They trusted Franco. At 16, as an actor, they took his initiative that he would not violate that trust they had. Franco was his boyfriend, and honestly what do you do when you’re 16? There are no options. There was no #MeToo.”
Meanwhile, Solomon Gresen, Hussey and Whiting’s attorney, mentioned that the actors were young without understanding what was happening. “All of a sudden they became famous on a level they never expected, and on top of that they were raped in a way they didn’t know how to handle.”
The lawsuit clarifies that both actors have suffered mental and emotional anguish for 55 years. Neither Whiting nor Hussey were able to find successful careers after Romeo and Juliet due to the loss of a large number of earnings and lack of great job opportunities. Despite appearing in one film or another, they never had a hit like Romeo and Juliet.
The lawsuit is based on a California law that suspended the statute of limitations on previous child sexual abuse claims. The actors want to be compensated for $500 million in damages, a sum similar to what Romeo and Juliet collected on the day of the release.
RECOMMENDED VIDEOS
Defense Minister LIES to defend his Deputy Minister Cabrera Defense Secretary José Gavidia lies to defend his Deputy Minister Leonel Cabrera, an army general (r) who is accused of murder, rape and kidnapping.