Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, now both 72 years old, filed the lawsuit against Paramount Pictures in December. During the filming of the 1968 Shakespeare adaptation, they were urged by director Franco Zeffirelli to take nude shots for a bed scene.
The actors' lawyers condemned the decision, stating that they intend to file a different version of the lawsuit in federal court. They wanted to bring the case before a federal court after the film "Romeo and Juliet" was re-released this year.