JAKARTA - Two main stars in the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet sued the production house Paramount Pictures. They claim to have experienced sexual harassment and fraud for one nude scene in the film.
Launching the New York Post, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were under 18 when they recorded the scene. It is known that Franco Zeffirelli's film Romeo and Juliet was successful on the market and received an Oscar nomination.
Now those in their 70s are suing Paramount Pictures for sexual exploitation. They asked for compensation of US $ 500 million or equivalent to Rp. 7 billion for the losses suffered.
Hussey and Whiting admitted that at that time they were promised no nude scenes. But towards the last day on set, Zeffirelli asked them to shoot the scene with body makeup.
Hussey, who is 15 years old and Whiting 16, feels emotional stress and even loses his job.
Romeo and Juliet is a film adapted from a novel by plan that tells the story of two young people whose relationship is prohibited by both parties.
The law on restrictions characteristic of child sexual abuse lawsuits in California is temporarily suspended under changes to state law in 2020.
As a result, there has been a large increase in cases against various organizations and people. Hussey and Whiting's reports were made on Friday, just before December 31 deadline.
Hussey and Whiting manager Tony Marinozzi explained that the actors were misled by Zeffirelli who died in 2019.
What he was talking about was two different things. They believed Franco. At the age of 16, they thought Franco's directives didn't damage their trust," said Tony Marinozzi.
"Franco is their friend but at the age of 16, what do they do? There is no other choice. There is no #MeToo campaign," he continued.
This is clearly different from Hussey's 2018 statement. To Variety, he said the nude scene was needed for the film.
"It wasn't people my age who did that. (The scene) is needed for film purposes," said Olivia Hussey.
Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures has not responded to Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting's lawsuits.
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