The $500m Romeo and Juliet case opens a new frontier for #MeToo reckoning
GuardianJan 04, 2023
The Facts
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey, the stars of Oscar-winning film 'Romeo and Juliet,' are suing Paramount Pictures for sexual abuse over a nude scene they appeared in.
The suit claims that the director, Franco Zeffirelli, initially assured them there would be no nudity, but later asserted the necessity of nudity for a scene "or the picture would fail." Whiting and Hussey were 16 and 15 respectively at the time of production.
The Spin
Narrative A
This lawsuit is the result of unresolved wounds caused by exploitation. Zeffirelli's predatory infatuation with a young Bruce Robinson — who played Benvolio in the 1968 movie — has already been noted, but this was only part of the unprofessional and inappropriate film making practices behind Romeo and Juliet. A lot is riding on the lawsuit, which may see many more stand up for how they were historically treated in Hollywood.
Narrative B
Hussey previously commented in 2018 that the nude scene wasn't a big deal, and even called for greater understanding of the context of nudity within European films at the time of Romeo and Juliet's production. The words may well undermine the suit as, although it is undeniable that both actors were minors and the case will likely make it to jury, allegations that the actors felt the filming was exploitative have not been consistent.