Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, both in their 70s and then ages 15 and 16, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging sexual abuse, harassment and fraud.
As reported by foreign media, the director of “Romeo and Juliet” Franco Zeffirelli, who passed away in 2019, had initially assured the young actors that they would wear flesh-colored underwear in an intimate scene. However, just before filming began, they both heard from him that the only thing they would wear was makeup.
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However, Zeffirelli promised them that the camera would be positioned so as not to show nudity. Despite this, Hussey and Whiting were filmed naked without their knowledge, in violation of California and federal laws against obscenity and child abuse.
According to the lawsuit, the director told the teenagers they had to act without clothes “or the movie would fail” and their careers would suffer. And those “believed they had no choice but to act in makeup only, as required.” Whiting’s bare buttocks and Hussey’s breasts are briefly visible during the scene.
The picture turned out to be a great success and was watched by generations of teenagers who got acquainted with the works of William Shakespeare. However, the young couple who play Romeo and Juliet suffered emotional damage, for which they are now seeking more than $500 million in damages. Both believe they deserve this amount given the hardships and revenue the film has generated since its release.
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The lawsuit was filed under a California law that temporarily suspends statutes of limitations on child sexual abuse cases.
Hussey defended the intimate scene in 2018 in an interview with Variety magazine, which first reported the case. “Nobody my age has ever done that before,” she said, adding that Zeffirelli shot it with gusto. “It was essential to the film,” she added.
