Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting File $500 Million Lawsuit Against Paramount Pictures Alleging Sexual Exploitation and Distribution of Nude Images of Adolescent Children.

Two stars of the 1968 movie “Romeo and Juliet,” Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, have filed a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million. The suit alleges that the studio sexually exploited them and distributed nude images of adolescent children.

Hussey, now 71, and Whiting, now 72, allege that the studio violated their rights by shooting a bedroom scene with nudity when they were teens. The scene included images of Whiting’s buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts.

The suit further alleges that director Franco Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, initially told them they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in the bedroom scene. Zeffirelli also allegedly assured both actors that there would be no nudity in the film.

The film was a hit and was nominated for four Academy Awards, but it also stirred controversy over the bedroom scene. Hussey and Whiting are now seeking damages for sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud.

Paramount Pictures has yet to comment on the lawsuit.