"Olivia Hasse Sues Film Company for Sexual Exploitation as a Minor"

1968 Romeo and Juliet Appearance
Director Filmed Nude Scene Without Consent

Actress Olivia Hussey (71) has filed a lawsuit against the production company Paramount for sexual exploitation related to her iconic film "Romeo and Juliet (1968)." She claims that unauthorized nude photos were taken during the filming.

On the 3rd (local time), overseas media outlets such as Variety and The Guardian reported that Hussey and Leonard Whiting (72), who starred in "Romeo and Juliet," filed a lawsuit against Paramount on April 30th at the Los Angeles (LA) County Superior Court in California, alleging sexual assault, fraud, sexual exploitation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The two actors claim that the production team took nude photos of them without consent when they were 15 and 16 years old, respectively. Currently, California has temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors.

1968 film 'Romeo and Juliet' lead actors Leonard Whiting (left) and Olivia Hussey / Photo by Yonhap News

According to the complaint cited by foreign media, director Franco Zeffirelli (who passed away in 2019), who filmed Romeo and Juliet, promised that "there would be no nude scenes in this film and that bedroom scenes would be filmed with flesh-colored underwear." However, on the last day of filming, Zeffirelli broke this promise and included nude scenes in the film without the actors' knowledge.

In response, the actors' manager Tony Marinocci released a statement on the 3rd, saying, "This incident happened in a time before MeToo," and emphasized, "They trusted director Franco. The 16-year-old actors had no choice."

The damages sought by the actors against Paramount are reported to exceed $500 million (approximately 637.7 billion KRW). Paramount has not yet issued any official statement.