Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, the stars of 1968's Oscar-winning RomeoAndJuliet, have filed suit against Paramount. The lawsuit alleges the teenage actors were pressured into shooting a nude scene after being promised they wouldn't have to.
Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, the stars of 1968's Romeo and Juliet, are filing a major lawsuit against Paramount for alleged sexual abuse. Directed and co-written by Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, the film adaptation of Shakespeare's classic love story would go on to garner massive critical acclaim. It received four Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture, and won for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY Nearly 55 years after the film's release, stars Hussey and Whiting are suing Paramount Pictures for $500 million+ for allegedly sexually exploiting the adolescent actors and for distributing sexual material of minors. The lawsuit was filed on December 30, 2022 and concerns a sex scene in the film which showed Hussey's breasts and Whiting's buttocks, despite reassurances supplied to the actors that there would be no nudity in the film.
At the time of filming, Mr. Whiting was a minor child aged 16 years and Ms. Hussey was also a minor child aged 15 years. Plaintiffs were told by Mr. Zeffirelli that there would be no nudity filmed or exhibited and that Plaintiffs would be wearing flesh colored undergarments during the bedroom/love scene.
While the lawsuit might seem sudden over 50 years later, this isn't the first time Hussey and Whiting have spoken about Romeo and Juliet's sex scene in recent years. In 2018, Hussey actually defended the scene in an interview, stating that it was "needed for the film" and "wasn't that big of a deal.
Despite seemingly agreeing with the nude scene in 2018, Hussey and Whiting have changed their viewpoints since, and are well within their rights to do so if they feel as though they were sexually exploited, particularly as minors. Hussey and Whiting's manager has commended them for filing the suit, saying that it was very courageous of the now 71- and 72-year-old actors to speak out against the "sexploitation" of minors.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Romeo and Juliet’ Stars Sue Paramount for Child Abuse Over Nude Scene in 1968 FilmOlivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were just teenagers when they electrified audiences in the 1968 version of “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The film was a hit and wa…
Read more »
‘Romeo and Juliet’ stars sue Paramount for child abuse over nude scene in 1968 filmNow in their 70s, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting filed a lawsuit accusing the studio of sexually exploiting them and distributing nude images of adolescent children.
Read more »
Stars of 1968 film 'Romeo & Juliet' sue studio for child sexual abuse over nude sceneThe stars of the 1968 movie “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Italian filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, have submitted a lawsuit accusing Paramount Pictures of sexually abusing them by filming their nude bodies without their knowledge when they were children.
Read more »
Stars of 1968 Romeo And Juliet sue over underage nude sceneOlivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting claim that they were sexually exploited by the film
Read more »
'Romeo & Juliet' stars sue over 1968 film's teen nude sceneThe two stars of 1968's 'Romeo and Juliet' sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million on Tuesday over a nude scene in the film shot when they were teens.
Read more »
‘Romeo & Juliet’ stars sue over 1968 film’s teen nude sceneThe two stars of 1968′s “Romeo and Juliet” sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million on Tuesday over a nude scene in the film shot when they were teens.
Read more »