Olivia Hussey who played Juliet was 15 and Leonard Whiting who played Romeo was 16 when the film was shot. Today, they are both in their 70s and have sued the film company Paramount Pictures for the nude scene in the film, their lawyer announces.
In the lawsuit, which was filed in Santa Monica, California last week, the two actors claim that a bedroom scene, in which bare breasts and other parts of the body are visible, is considered sexual exploitation of a minor. In addition, it is claimed in the lawsuit that the film company was also guilty of having distributed nude images of minors.
According to the lawsuit, director Franco Zeffirellis, who died in 2019, persuaded the two teenagers to shoot the scene, saying that without it the entire film would fall flat. He also allegedly said that they would not be naked for real, but wearing skin-colored underwear.
“The defendants were dishonest and secretly filmed the naked, or partially naked, children without their knowledge in violation of state and federal laws regarding decency and commercial exploitation of minors,” the lawsuit states.
The film company is required to pay several hundred million dollars in damages to the two actors who, according to the lawsuit, suffered mentally and emotionally during the more than 50 years that have passed since the film began to be shown.
The film company Paramount Pictures has not commented on the lawsuit, according to AFP.