The production premiered in 1968 and immediately became a great hit. She won two Oscars from four nominations, three Golden Globes and a BAFTA statuette. Despite its huge success, the film was also considered controversial because of a nude scene starring 16-year-old Whiting and 15-year-old Hussey.
The actors are suing Paramount Pictures
Almost 55 years after the premiere of the production, the actors of the title roles also stated that such a situation should not take place. On December 30, 2022, Hussey, 71, and Whiting, 72, filed a lawsuit in Santa Monica Superior Court. According to “”, we can read in it that Franco Zeffirelli (who died in 2019) guaranteed the actors that they would not appear naked in the film, and in the bedroom scene they would wear flesh-colored underwear. At the end of filming, however, the director allegedly asked them to appear naked, otherwise “the film will fail.”
Hussey and Whiting believe Zeffirelli showed them what would be in the scene and ensured that the nude would not appear in the production. The actors emphasize in the lawsuit that the director was unfair to them and in fact they were filmed in this way without their knowledge.
Both also say in the lawsuit that they suffered “mental anguish and emotional distress” for many years after the recording, and that they lost many job opportunities and missed career opportunities as a result. They are seeking damages in excess of $500 million.
This is how Tony Marinozzi, who is the manager of the two actors, comments on the whole thing:
What they heard and what happened are two different things. They trusted Franco. As 16-year-old actors, they believed that he would not abuse their trust. He was their friend. And what were they supposed to do at that age? There was no other option, there was no #MeToo back then
They are seeking $500 million in damages
The lawsuit also mentions that Hussey and Whiting suffered the psychological cost of the director’s decision, which also closed the way for them to further their careers. Despite the success of the film and the numerous awards it received, they failed to achieve great success. The actors are seeking damages in the amount of $ 500 million. The lawsuit takes advantage of a California law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases against minors.
Solomon Gresen, who is the actor’s lawyer, also commented on this matter:
Nude photos of minors are illegal and should not be distributed. They were very young and naive children in the 1960s who had no idea what was going to happen to them. They suddenly became famous on a scale they never expected. On top of that, they were used in a way they couldn’t handle
Interestingly, Olivia Hussey in an interview with “Variety” five years ago defended the bed scene from “Romeo and Juliet”. She said at the time, “Nobody my age has done that before. She was needed in the movie.” She also added that Zeffirelli shot it “with taste”.
She made similar statements in an interview with Fox News in the same year. She stated that the scene was taboo in America, but nudity was quite normal in European cinema at that time. “It was nothing like that. Leonard was not ashamed at all. During the shooting, I completely forgot that we were not dressed,” the actress explained in 2018.
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Source: Gazeta
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
