Olivia Hussey, who rose to stardom at 16 in 1968 movie Romeo and Juliet, has died. She had other roles subsequently but never duplicated her first success and career was limited when she turned down roles. She and costar Leonard Whiting, decades after film was made, filed lawsuit claiming very brief nudity had damaged them. Suit was dismissed. Hussey later acknowledged scene was appropriate and by today's standards almost prudish, literally few seconds of Romeo's bare backside and even briefer glimpse of Juliet's breasts. Still best film Romeo and Juliet.
First movie I ever went to see more than once in the theater. I was 14 when it came out and in love with Olivia Hussey...such beautiful eyes. First nude scene I'd ever seen on film as well. Pretty controversial given her age and the times. RIP... Leonard Whiting was a musician with no acting experience when he made that movie. Both were sort of one shot wonders. I always loved that film
I remember seeing that in high school, and when that scene came up I was like "wait...did...wait...." and then when I found out she was like 16 at the time (I was much older when I found this out) it felt creepy.
It was the first time Romeo and Juliet were portrayed by actors near the actual ages of the characters. They were teenagers in love in their wedding night. They wouldn't have been wearing flannel pajamas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Hussey She was purged from top roles for criticizing the right-wing John Wayne. --After the success of Romeo and Juliet, Hollywood producer Hal B. Wallis offered her the title role in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) and the co-starring role with John Wayne in True Grit (1969).[15] In her 2018 memoir, Hussey recalled that she had "mumbled something about being interested in Anne of the Thousand Days" but that she "couldn't see herself with Wayne", concluding that this "adolescent and opinionated" remark ended her professional relationship with Wallis, who immediately withdrew his offer.[16] She praised the nude scene till she was dying and needed the dough, then caved to a lawyer. --In another 2018 interview with Variety, Hussey defended the nude scene, saying, "Nobody my age had done that before," adding that Zeffirelli shot it tastefully. "It was needed for the film. Everyone thinks they were so young they didn't realize what they were doing. But we were very aware. We both came from drama schools and when you work you take your work very seriously."[19][20] However, on 30 December 2022, Hussey and Whiting filed a $500 million lawsuit...
