‘Romeo and Juliet’ Director Franco Zeffirelli’s Son Slams ‘Abuse’ Lawsuit By Actors
deadline.comPippo Zeffirelli, son of Romeo and Juliet director Franco Zeffirelli, is criticizing the lawsuit brought by that film’s stars, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting.
The actors are alleging sexual exploitation and child abuse in a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures over a famous nude scene in the 1968 Zeffirelli film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play.
Hussey and Whiting, now 71 and 72, earlier this week filed suit against Paramount. They alleged that Franco Zeffirelli violated their consent by filming them nude without their knowledge.
Hussey and Whiting were 15 and 16 years old at the time of filming. Zeffirelli died in 2019. “What they were told and what went on were two different things,” Tony Marinozzi, who serves as a business manager for both Hussey and Whiting, said in a statement. “They trusted Franco.
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