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‘Romeo & Juliet’ stars sue for $500M over n-ked scene
The stars of the classic film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, have taken legal action and filed a suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming a sum of $500 million.
The suit asserts that the actors were subjected to sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and fraud during the making of the movie.
The stars, who were 15 and 16 years old at the time, respectively, are now 71 and 72.
The lawsuit alleges that director Franco Zeffirelli initially promised the actors that they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in the famous bedroom scene.
However, on the day of the shoot, Zeffirelli allegedly informed Whiting and Hussey that they would only wear body make-up and that the camera would be positioned in such a way as to conceal any nudity.
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The suit states that the actors were filmed in the nude without their knowledge or consent, which was in violation of California and federal laws prohibiting indecency and exploitation of minors.
The suit further claims that Zeffirelli told the actors that they must act in the nude or their careers would be negatively impacted and the film would fail.
Given these assurances, the actors felt they had no choice but to comply with the director’s demands.
The famous bedroom scene depicts brief glimpses of Whiting’s bare buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts.
Despite this, the film, including its memorable theme song, went on to be a massive success and has been shown to countless high school students studying the play.
According to the court filing, the actors have suffered from emotional damage and mental anguish for decades, and their careers did not reach the level of success that the film enjoyed.
The suit argues that given their suffering and the substantial revenue generated by the film since its release, the actors are entitled to more than $500 million in damages.
The lawsuit was filed under a California law that temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases, leading to a surge in new lawsuits and the revival of previously dismissed cases.
In a 2018 interview with Variety, which first reported the lawsuit, Hussey defended the scene, marking the film’s 50th anniversary.
“Nobody my age had done that before,” she said.
“It was needed for the film, and Franco Zeffirelli shot it tastefully.”
