actors Romeo and Julietclassic 1968 film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Paramount Pictures sued for sexual exploitation. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting have filed a lawsuit in the Santa Monica, California Supreme Court, accusing the producer of multiple allegations, including sexual assault, fraud and distribution of nude images of minors. The characters in the film claim that were filmed naked without their knowledge.
In accordance with DiversityHussey and Whiting, who were underage at the time of filming, were convinced that the nude scene would not be filmed. Franco Zeffirelli would have promised them that there would be no nudity. and flesh-coloured clothes will be worn. The director later changed his mind and told them that the film would fail unless they chose to film the scene without clothes.
The lawsuit against Paramount is based on a four-minute scene in which Hussie and Whiting wake up together. The actor, who is barely 16 years old, shows his buttocks when he lies naked on the bed and when he gets up. For her part, 15-year-old Olivia Hussey bares her breasts for a split second at a key moment. According to the plaintiffs, Zeffirelli I would beg them to film the scene in those conditions. and wear body makeup
This was reported by Tony Marinozzi, the agent of both actors. Diversity what kind what they were promised and what happened were two different things. “They trusted Franco [Zeffirelli]. At the age of 16, as actors, they took his initiative so that he would not violate their trust. Franco was his friend, and honestly, at 16, what are they doing? There are no options. There was no #MeToo,” he said.
actors Romeo and Juliet suffered from emotional distress for 55 years
On the other hand, Solomon Gresen, Hussey and Whiting’s lawyer, mentioned that the actors were young and naive and didn’t know what was going to happen to them. “Suddenly, they were famous at a level that they didn’t even expect, and on top of that they were raped in a way that they didn’t know how to deal with it,” he said.
The lawsuit against Paramount states that actors have endured mental and emotional suffering for the past 55 years. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting would be something like one hitbecause they were never able to capitalize on the success Romeo and Juliet. According to the document filed with the court, both had lost income and other employment benefits and job opportunities.
The trajectory of both after Romeo and Juliet It is to analyze. Olivia Hussey took part in Black Christmasconsidered together with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as one of the first representatives of the slasher genre, from which films such as Halloween Friday the 13th D A Nightmare on Elm Street. The actress was also part of the cast of the mini-series Item 1990 based on the novel by Stephen King.
Although Hussey has been active for decades, none of his work has received such recognition as Romeo and Juliet. Things went even worse for Leonard Whiting as his career was limited to occasional film and television appearances. The actor’s IMDB profile lists a gap of 15 years without taking part in any film.
The lawsuit is based on a California law that suspended the statute of limitations on previous child sexual abuse lawsuits. actors seek compensation for damages that would have amounted to $500 millionestimated collection figure Romeo and Juliet To date.
Source: Hiper Textual
