(Image: Everett Collection)
The film “Romeo and Juliet” faced significant backlash after it received an Oscar nomination, particularly regarding a controversial bedroom scene featuring nudity by Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. Now in their 70s, Hussey and Whiting made a rare appearance at the Santa Monica courthouse on Friday, where Paramount issued a statement denying the release of the controversial scene from the film.
According to the lawsuit, directed by Franco Zeffirelli – who passed away in 2019 – both actors insisted that there were no nude scenes in the film and that they wore flesh-colored clothing during the bedroom scene. However, during the final days of filming, the director allegedly requested that they film the nude scene, stating, “If you don’t film it, the movie will fail.”
At the time, Hussey was 15 and Whiting was 16. According to the lawsuit, Zeffirelli later assured them that no nude scenes would be filmed or released in the movie. The lawsuit claims that the director was dishonest, and in reality, Whiting and Hussey filmed the nude scene without their knowledge.
Tony Marinozzi, the business manager for both actors, stated: “What’s written and what happened are two different things. They trusted Franco. At 16, as an actor, they believed he wouldn’t violate the trust they had. Franco was their friend, and frankly speaking, at 16, what could they do? There was no choice. There was no #MeToo.”
According to the lawsuit, Hussey and Whiting have endured significant emotional pain and suffering regarding their mental health and emotional well-being since the film’s release 55 years ago, which has also impacted their work opportunities. Despite their groundbreaking performances, Hussey and Whiting had limited acting careers after “Romeo and Juliet.”
Both actors are reportedly seeking damages of over $500 million.
“The nude scene of the characters is illegal and should not be displayed,” said Solomon Gresen, the actors’ attorney, in an interview. “These are very old standards from the 60s; they didn’t know what was coming at them. They suddenly became famous at a level that they never anticipated, and added to that were the violations they didn’t know how to address.”
Paramount has not immediately responded to the request for comment.
In a 2018 interview with Variety, Hussey defended the nude scene.
“No one at my age could do what I did before this,” she said, adding that Zeffirelli shot it in a very tasteful way – “It was good for the film.”
In another 2018 interview with Fox News, she stated that the scene was “difficult” to film, but the nude scene was necessary for the film’s artistic integrity.
