Throughout the years, Olivia and Leonard have praised their work on Romeo and Juliet and its director, Franco Zeffirelli. But nearly four years after Franco’s death, the lead actors filed a lawsuit with Santa Monica Superior Court to sue Paramount, the studio that aired the movie.

According to a lawsuit obtained by Variety, Olivia and Leonard’s December 2022 lawsuit accused Paramount’s team of “sexually exploiting them and distributing nude images of adolescent children.”

The actors claimed Franco assured them they wouldn’t be completely nude during the filming process. However, when it came time to shoot the scene, Franco demanded Olivia and Leonard, who were 15 and 16 at the time, “perform in the nude with body makeup,” and warned them that “the Picture would fail” if they didn't.

Olivia and Leonard agreed to Franco’s demand under the impression that the film wouldn’t include any of their nude scenes. When they saw the scenes for the first time, the actors said the director betrayed them.

“What they were told and what went on were two different things,” Olivia and Leonard’s business manager, Tony Marinozzi, said. “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.”

The former co-stars are reportedly seeking $500 million in damages. According to Leonard and Olivia’s complaint, they suffered personally and financially from their previous roles. In addition to the “​ mental anguish and emotional distress” they allegedly endured, they believe the film stifled their careers decades later.

Report online or in-person sexual abuse of a child or teen by calling the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 or visiting childhelp.org. Learn more about the warning signs of child abuse at RAINN.org.