Romeo & Juliet's Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey Sue Paramount for Sexual Exploitation

[JamesG]

Director Franco Zeffirelli's Son Calls Sexual Exploitation Lawsuit from Romeo and Juliet Stars "Embarassing"
by Jessica Wang
Jan. 8, 2023


Romeo and Juliet director Franco Zeffirelli's son has spoken out against the sexual exploitation lawsuit filed by stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey.

Speaking with The Guardian, Pippo Zeffirelli called the lawsuit filed against Paramount Pictures last month "embarrassing" and maintained that the nude scene at the center of the complaint was "far from pornographic."

He said of the case, "It is embarrassing to hear that today, 55 years after filming, two elderly actors who owe their notoriety essentially to this film wake up to declare that they have suffered an abuse that has caused them years of anxiety and emotional discomfort."




Pippo Ziffirelli, who serves as the president of the Franco Zeffirelli Foundation, also said he believed the film's producers John Brabourne and Anthony Havelock-Allan had consent forms from the actor's parents.

"[Franco] Zeffirelli himself was accused of being reactionary precisely because, over and over again, he spoke out against pornography," he added. "The nude images in the film express the beauty, the transfer, I would even say the candor of mutual giving and do not contain any morbid feeling."





Whiting and Hussey, now in their 70s, are suing Paramount over the nude bedroom scene in the 1968 film. The actors, who were 16 and 15 at the time of production, accused the studio of exploitation, sexual harassment, fraud, sexual abuse, negligence, and the distribution of nude images of children.

In the complaint reviewed by EW, the actors alleged that Zeffirelli — who died in 2019 at the age of 96 — assured them that there would be no nudity in the film, but in the final days of filming, the director encouraged them to film the bedroom scene nude with body makeup or the movie "would fail." Whiting and Hussey also alleged that Zeffirelli misrepresented where the camera would be and filmed them naked without their knowledge.

The finished film included images of Hussey's breasts and Whiting's buttocks. The actors said they have suffered mental anguish and emotional distress as a result, and have lost out on job opportunities. They are seeking damages believed to be in excess of $500 million. The lawsuit was filed under a California law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for claims of child sexual abuse.





Pippo Zeffirelli noted that both actors have praised the film in recent years and that Hussey collaborated with his father again in the 1977 miniseries Jesus of Nazareth.

"It appears to me that in all these years, they have always maintained a relationship of deep gratitude and friendship towards Zeffirelli, releasing hundreds of interviews about the happy memory of their very fortunate experience, which was crowned with worldwide success," he added.

https://ew.com/movies/franco-zeffire...ation-lawsuit/

[JamesG]

Judge to Dismiss Lawsuit from Romeo and Juliet Stars over Underage Nude Scene
by Jessica Wang
May 25, 2023


A California judge has moved to toss out a lawsuit from the stars of the 1968 movie Romeo and Juliet that accused Paramount of exploitation and sexual abuse with regard to a nude scene filmed when the actors were underage.

In a tentative ruling Thursday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alison Mackenzie granted the studio's motion to dismiss the lawsuit, rejecting Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting's argument that the nude scene amounted to child pornography.




"Plaintiffs have not put forth any authority showing the film here can be deemed to be sufficiently sexually suggestive as a matter of law to be held to be conclusively illegal," Mackenzie wrote.

"Plaintiffs' argument on the subject is limited to cherry-picked language from federal and state statutes without offering any authority regarding the interpretation or application of those statutory provisions to purported works of artistic merit, such as the award-winning film at issue here."

The ruling also found that the film is protected by the First Amendment and the defendants did not comply with the provisions of a California law that temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims, which had opened the door for Hussey and Whiting to file the lawsuit back in December.




Solomon Gresen, an attorney for the actors, slammed the court's decision and told EW he plans to file a separate lawsuit in federal court, citing a Criterion Collection home video release earlier this year.

"We firmly believe that the exploitation and sexualization of minors in the film industry must be confronted and legally addressed to protect vulnerable individuals from harm and ensure the enforcement of existing laws," he said. He also maintained "images of child pornography are not protected under First Amendment rights and are illegal contraband under federal law."

Hussey and Whiting added in a joint statement, "We waited going on 55 years for justice. I guess we'll have to wait longer."

https://ew.com/movies/romeo-and-juli...uit-dismissed/

[Mr. Television]

Why did they wait so long?

[Babalu]

Originally Posted by Mr. Television

Why did they wait so long?

I'd say they waited until woke took over America and they thought they could pick up some easy money in their old age.

[JamesG]

Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting File New Lawsuit against Paramount over Underage Nude Images Used for Criterion Release
by Jessica Wang
Feb. 15, 2024


Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting have revived their Romeo and Juliet lawsuit against Paramount, this time over the recent Criterion Collection home release of the 1968 movie.

The photographs cited in this suit are from the same scene at the center of their original lawsuit, which features Hussey and Whiting naked in a bedroom as the titular star-crossed lovers.




They claim they never consented to Paramount's redistribution of the movie and are thus suing for unlawful distribution of intimate photographs, unlawful use of likeness, and violation of performers' rights.

The actors allege that "nothing in the agreement" for the original release granted Paramount the right to recreate, republish, or redistribute photographs of their work in any other medium or format than 35 mm analogue cinematographic photographs.

However, the digital release contains "digitally enhanced photographs" of Whiting and Hussey lying together nude in a bed, as well as other renderings in "high definition.




"Among other things, the digital photos rendered, in extremely high-definition detail, the contents of several analog color photographs taken in the private studio in the presence only of key photography personnel while Hussey and Whiting were minors during the production of the original project, depicting Hussey’s complete naked breasts and Whiting’s complete naked buttocks," the complaint reads.

Paramount and Criterion did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

https://ew.com/romeo-and-juliet-star...hiting-8583024

[JamesG]

Judge Throws out 2nd Lawsuit from Romeo and Juliet Stars over Underage Nude Scene
by Ryan Coleman
October 21, 2024


Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting's second lawsuit against Paramount over an underage nude scene shot for their 1968 film Romeo and Juliet was dismissed today by a Superior Court judge.

Superior Court Judge Holly J. Fujie tossed the second suit out, claiming that Criterion did not meaningfully alter the presentation of the nude scene enough to warrant a departure from the initial ruling on the case, as the plaintiffs' suit claimed.

https://ew.com/judge-dismisses-secon...nudity-8731868