In 1968, the Paramount Pictures film “Romo and Juliet” was released. Actress Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting played the main characters.
According to the media “Daily Star”, now, after 55 years, the two actors are suing the company Paramount Pictures.
Both actors believe they were sexually abused while filming the film as minors.
At the time Romeo and Juliet was filmed, Olivia was only 15 and Leonard was 16. Both actors were initially told by the film’s director that no nudity would be filmed. However, towards the end of filming, director Franco Zarifelli announced that nude scenes would have to be shot, or else the film would “fail.”
Now the 71-year-old actress and the 72-year-old actor have filed a lawsuit in California. They accuse Paramount Pictures of sexual harassment and intentional infliction of stress. The actors claim that the film’s director forced them to film naked. They’re asking for $500 million in damages.
The actor’s manager admitted that the two teenagers trusted the director a lot during filming. “What they were told and what happened are two different things. They trusted Franco. […] Franco was their friend. Frankly, who at 16 understands what they’re doing?”
The complaint filed in court states that the two actors were unaware that they were filmed naked. The film’s director was said to have shown the actors where the camera was when they were in the same room, but claimed that nudity would not be included in the film. While filming the nude scenes, both actors’ bodies were particularly sunken.
Hussey and Whiting are demanding exactly $500 million in compensation for their suffering, which is what the film has earned since its release.
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