Arun Arun
Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were just teenagers when they electrified audiences in the 1968 version of “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Franco Zeffirelli. The film was a hit and was nominated for four Academy Awards, but it also stirred controversy over a bedroom scene which included images of Whiting’s buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts.
The actors, now both in their 70s, claim in a suit filed in Santa Monica last week that a bedroom scene amounts to sexual exploitation by movie studio Paramount, and that the company was guilty of distributing nude pictures of adolescents.
The suit says Zeffirelli — who died in 2019 — cajoled them into performing the scene, telling them without it “the picture would fail”, having originally insisted there would be no actual nudity, with both actors covered by flesh-colored underwear.
“What they were told and what went on were two different things,” said Tony Marinozzi, a business manager for the two actors. “They trusted Franco. At 16, as actors, they took his lead that he would not violate that trust they had. Franco was their friend, and frankly, at 16, what do they do? There are no options. There was no #MeToo.”
Hussey was 15 and Whiting 16 at the time of production. The complaint alleges the pair have suffered “mental anguish and emotional distress” in the years since and have lost out on job opportunities. Damages are being sought “believed to be in excess of $500m”.
Solomon Gresen, an attorney for Whiting and Hussey, told Variety, “Nude images of minors are unlawful and shouldn’t be exhibited. These were very young naive children in the ’60s who had no understanding of what was about to hit them. All of a sudden they were famous at a level they never expected, and in addition they were violated in a way they didn’t know how to deal with.”
Hussey has defended the nude scene in past interviews. In 2018, she told Fox News that it “was done very tastefully” and “wasn’t that big of a deal.”
As recently as 2018, Hussey has spoken about the need for the nudity in the film. In the midst of publicity for her then-just published memoir, she told Fox News that the nudity “wasn’t that big of a deal.” The Jesus of Nazareth veteran also noted in another interview that same year that though she and Whiting were young, they were both theatre vets and “we were very aware.”
The timing of the filing late last week in Los Angeles Superior Court came mere hours before the December 31 expiration of the nearly three-year extension of California’s lifting of the statute of limitations for claims of sexual abuse against children.
What is the real story of Romeo and Juliet?
Romeo and Juliet are said to have met at a masquerade party, fallen in love, and then chosen to wed secretly in defiance of the wishes of their two competing families. But it appeared as though a harsh fate was working against their pleasure. Romeo’s best buddy Mercutio is killed in a street brawl by Juliet’s cousin Tybalt.
At what age Romeo and Juliet died?
In the play Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet were teenagers; Juliet was thirteen years old, almost fourteen. Romeo’s age is unknown; he is considered as a man but is also called young and has a youthful appearance. He could be fifteen, twenty, or even a little bit younger or older.
What is Romeo and Juliet about short summary?
Julie and Romeo Summary. A long-standing feud between two wealthy families turns violent. A gang of masked Montagues break into a Capulet celebration, risking additional strife. A young Romeo Montague who is infatuated with love falls in love right away with Juliet Capulet, who is about to wed the man of her father’s choosing, the County Paris.
How old is Romeo and Juliet age?
Romeo is described as being 16 years old in Shakespeare’s original narrative, whereas Juliet is described as being 13 years old. Instead of Shakespeare, the Italian author Dante Aligheri’s Divine Comedy is where the Montague and Capulet families first appear.
Who was Romeo’s first love?
Rosaline, the cousin of Juliet and the niece of Capulet, is the person Romeo first fell in love with.
How was Juliet killed?
The Friar leaves the tomb rather than remaining with her, leaving Juliet all by herself. She then uses Romeo’s knife to kill herself.
Who kills Romeo?
Tybalt, Capulet, and Friar Lawrence are only a few of the characters who contributed to Romeo and Juliet’s demise. Tybalt has a significant impact in Romeo and Juliet’s demise in the play.
How does Romeo react to Juliet’s death?
Romeo is upset because being separated from Juliet is like a type of living death to him. Romeo, who is “with his own tears made intoxicated,” is inconsolable despite the Friar’s attempts to reason with him. When the nurse shows in, she informs Romeo of Juliet’s sorrow.
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FAQ:-
Who was Romeo’s first love?
Rosaline, the cousin of Juliet and the niece of Capulet, is the person Romeo first fell in love with.
Romeo and Juliet Film when
1968
