The actors who performed star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 movie are suing Paramount Photos for little one abuse over their temporary nude scene, their lawyer stated Tuesday.
Olivia Hussey was 15 and Leonard Whiting 16 after they starred within the Oscar-winning model of William Shakespeare’s tragedy.
The actors, now each of their 70s, declare in a swimsuit filed in Santa Monica final week {that a} bed room scene wherein buttocks and naked breasts are seen quantities to sexual exploitation by film studio Paramount, and that the corporate was responsible of distributing nude footage of adolescents.
The swimsuit says Zeffirelli — who died in 2019 — cajoled them into performing the scene, telling them with out it “the picture would fail”, having initially insisted there can be no precise nudity, with each actors lined by flesh-coloured underwear.
Photographs: IMDb
“Defendants were dishonest and secretly filmed the nude or partially nude minor children without their knowledge, in violation of the state and federal laws regulating indecency and exploitation of minors for profit,” the swimsuit says.
The criticism, which claims damages of tons of of tens of millions of {dollars}, says the 2 performers have suffered psychological anguish and emotional misery within the five-and-a-half many years for the reason that movie got here out, and that each had solely restricted skilled success in its wake.
Each received Golden Globes for his or her performances.
Solomon Gresen, representing the actors, advised AFP the years which have elapsed for the reason that movie was made didn’t reduce the harm executed, particularly because it has been re-released since.
“(Paramount) have images that they know are images of underage nudity that should be removed from the film. That would be the beginning for sure,” he stated.
“Sexually specific pictures of youngsters are dangerous they usually shouldn’t be tolerated.
“If they were under 16, then they’re under 16. It’s a sexually explicit image of an underage person, it should be forbidden.”
December 31 was the ultimate date for historic little one intercourse abuse lawsuits to be filed in California below a short lived waiver of the statutes of limitation.
A raft of claims had been lodged throughout the waiver, together with one final week by a lady who says she was the teenage lover of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler within the 1970s.
There was no instant response from Paramount to AFP’s request for remark.
Selection reported that in its 2018 interview with Hussey, she had defended the nude scene, which she insisted Zeffirelli had executed tastefully.
“It was needed for the film,” she advised the outlet on the time.
