Stars of 1968 ‘Romeo and Juliet’ allege in latest lawsuit they were sexually abused, sexually harassed and cheated over nude scene in accordance with press reports.
Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were each under 18 after they filmed Franco Zeffirelli’s blockbuster, which garnered multiple Oscar nominations in addition to awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.
The fictional lovers, now in their 70s, accuse Paramount Pictures of sexually abusing and distributing nude pictures of kids. They’re looking for over $500 million in alleged damages.
Paramount didn’t immediately reply to The Post’s request for comment.
![Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/romeo-and-juliet-lawsuit-501.jpg?w=1024)
“Romeo and Juliet”, an adaptation of the Shakespearean drama of the identical title, tells the story of two young, forbidden lovers from quarreling families.
In line with the couple’s suit, they were promised no nudity – just modest flesh-colored outfits – but in their final days on set, Zeffirelli reportedly urged them to do a scene with only body makeup. He allegedly threatened that otherwise “the image would fail”, Diversity reported.
In the course of the filming, Hussey he was 15 and Whiting 16. They claim they “suffered mental anguish and emotional stress”, in accordance with Variety, and even lost job opportunities.
![Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/romeo-and-juliet-lawsuit-502.jpg?w=1024)
![Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/romeo-and-juliet-lawsuit-500.jpg?w=1024)
The everyday statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits in California has been temporarily suspended under s 2020 state law changeresulting in a rise in cases against various organizations and individuals. Hussey and Whiting’s claim arrived on Friday, just before the December 31 deadline.
Tony Marinozzi, Hussey and Whiting’s business manager, told Variety that the actors were misled by Zeffirelli, who died in 2019.
“What they were told and what happened are two various things,” he said. “They trusted Franco. On the age of 16, as actors, they took over his initiative in order that he wouldn’t violate their trust. Franco was their friend and truthfully what are they doing at 16? There aren’t any options. There was no #MeToo.”
Their lawyer, Solomon Gresen, said such pictures of minors “are against the law and shouldn’t be shown”.
![Zeffirelli, Hussey and Whiting](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/romeo-and-juliet-lawsuit-505.jpg?w=1024)
“These were very young, naive kids in the 60s who didn’t understand what was ahead of them,” he told Variety. “Suddenly, they became famous on a level they never expected, plus they were affected in ways they didn’t know how you can cope with.”
In earlier interviews, Hussey has defended nudity, including Interview with Variety from 2018 in which she justified the directorial gaze of Zeffirelli, which was once called “taboo“.
“No person my age has done that before,” she said. “It was needed for the movie.”