On the October 14 broadcast of KBS2’s program Celebrity secretproducers revisited the challenges Olivia Hussey faced after being chosen from 800 applicants to play Juliet in the classic 1968 film Romeo and Juliet.
During filming in Rome, Olivia Hussey allegedly clashed with the film’s director in a cramped dressing room. The director reportedly asked Hussey to wear a tight corset to make her figure appear fuller on camera. But she refused, saying: “I can’t breathe, I’m too tight. I’d rather look thin.”
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The broadcast also revealed that the production staff pressured Hussey to lose additional weight. She was reportedly taken to the hospital every day and forced to take diet pills prescribed by doctors hired by the practice. The drug made her hands shake and left her weak, but she couldn’t stop taking it until her mother found out later.
Lee Nak-jun, a doctor and writer, explained that such practices were common in the Hollywood system of the 1960s and 1970s, where studio-affiliated doctors prescribed strong stimulants — often mixed with diuretics and thyroid hormones — to help actors maintain extremely lean physiques. These so-called “diet cocktails” speeded up metabolism but also led to serious side effects such as insomnia, dehydration and heart complications. Many artists eventually became dependent on these substances to function.
Jang Do-yeon, who appeared on the show, commented: “They treated her like a tool rather than a human being,” expressing her pain at the way young actresses were often exploited in that era.
Hussey reportedly developed agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder that causes a fear of open or public spaces, as a result of traumatic experiences he experienced on set.
Olivia Hussey made her screen debut in 1964 with The crisis and became famous all over the world Romeo and Julietearning the Golden Globe for New Star of the Year in 1969. She died in December 2024 at the age of 73, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most iconic actresses of her generation.
