The Supreme Court of Santa Monica, California, has ruled in an unusual lawsuit that could set a nasty precedent for many Hollywood studios. The defendant is Paramount Pictures. The plaintiffs are the stars of the cult film “Romeo and Juliet”, shot in 1968 by the famous director Franco Zefirelli. Starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Gussey are asking for more than $500 million for nude scenes.
The lawsuit alleges sexual assault, sexual harassment and fraud, sexual exploitation of young actors and distribution of nude images of teenage children. The fact is that at the time of filming the picture, Vaiteng was 16 years old, and Gasa was 15 years old.
Now, Leonard, 72, and Olivia, 71, claim Zefirelli scammed them. The director first said that they would be wearing flesh-colored underwear in the bedroom scene. However, just before filming, Franco insisted that they be completely naked.
He assured them that this scene was important, without it the film would fail and their film careers would end. The director promised that the camera would be positioned so as not to show nudity.
Whiting and Gussie succumbed to the pressure as a result. But they were again deceived. Olivia’s naked breasts and Leonard’s bare buttocks got into the frame.
The lawsuit notes that Whiting and Gussie suffered decades of emotional damage and mental anguish because of the way they were treated.
Hearing the Zefirelli version will no longer work - the director died in 2019.
The picture was a phenomenal success around the world. Romeo and Juliet Zefirelli has become a film classic. She was nominated for four Oscars and won two of them for Best Cinematography and Best Costumes. The film is still shown to students who study not only cinematography, but also Shakespeare’s work.
“Nude images of minors are illegal and should not be shown,” Solomon Gresen, the actors’ lawyer, told reporters. “These were small, naive children of the 60s who did not understand what was waiting for them. Suddenly, they became known at a level that was not even expected. In addition, they were subjected to violence in such a way that they did not know how to deal with it,” - emphasized the lawyer.
Notably, Olivia Gussie has previously publicly championed the bedroom scene. “No one my age has done this before. Zeffirelli shot it with taste. It was necessary for the film.”- the actress said in an interview with Variety magazine in 2018, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the release of the picture.
Earlier reported that a long-term lawsuit between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Gerd ended. The parties reached a pre-trial agreement.
Source: Fakty
