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'Romeo and Juliet' Star Olivia Hussey Dies Aged 73

Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey starred in the 1968 adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet". CHRIS DELMAS / AFP
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey starred in the 1968 adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet". CHRIS DELMAS / AFP
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'Romeo and Juliet' Star Olivia Hussey Dies Aged 73

Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey starred in the 1968 adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet". CHRIS DELMAS / AFP
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey starred in the 1968 adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet". CHRIS DELMAS / AFP

Olivia Hussey, who starred as a teenage Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film "Romeo and Juliet," garnering her a Golden Globe, died Friday at age 73, her family announced.
"Olivia was a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her," her family said in a statement posted to her Instagram account.
Buenos Aires-born Hussey was 15 when she and her co-lead Leonard Whiting starred in the Oscar-winning adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy, AFP said.
In 2023, the two actors filed a lawsuit against the studio alleging child abuse over a controversial nude scene featuring the pair, who were minors at the time.
A judge dismissed the lawsuit later that year.
In a 2018 interview with entertainment trade publication Variety, Hussey said Zeffirelli had shot the nude scene tastefully.
"Everyone thinks they were so young they probably didn't realize what they were doing," Hussey said.
"But we were very aware. We both came from drama schools and when you work, you take your work very seriously."
Whiting told Variety the pair had supported each other through the daunting experience.
"Olivia was very, very nervous and frightened as well, but we really were very fond of each other and we helped each other get through the whole thing," he said in 2023.
Born to an Argentine opera singer and a British legal secretary, Hussey moved with her family from Buenos Aires to London when she was seven years old.
She studied at the Italia Conti drama school and was already a working actor as a teenager when she was cast in Zeffirelli's film.
Hussey, who received a "New Star of the Year" Golden Globe for her performance, would later star in the 1974 slasher film "Black Christmas" and the 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile", among other projects.
She is survived by her husband David Eisley, their three children and a grandchild.

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Entertainment

‘Hoppers’ Tops N. America Box Office for 2nd Straight Week

Jon Hamm. (Getty Images for Disney)
Jon Hamm. (Getty Images for Disney)
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‘Hoppers’ Tops N. America Box Office for 2nd Straight Week

Jon Hamm. (Getty Images for Disney)
Jon Hamm. (Getty Images for Disney)

"Hoppers," the latest original animated film from Disney's Pixar, maintained its position atop the North American box office with $28.5 million in ticket sales in its second weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The adventure comedy, which tells the story of young animal lover Mabel who uses technology to transfer her consciousness into a robotic beaver so she can better communicate and protect wildlife, has now pulled in $165 million worldwide, according to Exhibitor Relations.

The voice cast features Meryl Streep, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy and Piper Curda as Mabel.

Debuting at number two was Universal's romance "Reminders of Him," based on the novel by Colleen Hoover and starring Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers. It earned $18.2 million in the United States and Canada.

"This is an excellent opening for an original romance picture, at well above average levels for the genre," wrote analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

Another new arrival, the horror flick "Undertone" distributed by A24, came in third, with $9.3 million in ticket sales.

The it's-coming-from-inside-the-house scare-fest, complete with a deeply unsettling soundscape, narrowly bested the latest in an iconic series of the genre, "Scream 7."

Paramount's new installment in the 30-year-old slasher series, featuring yet another Ghostface killer, held onto fourth position earning $8.3 million, for a global three-week total of $176.5 million.

Sony's family-friendly animated film "GOAT" -- the story of an undersized domesticated mammal who wants to join a basketball-like "roarball" team -- in its fifth week slipped one spot to fifth, at $4.7 million, and $162.5 million globally.

Entertainment

It’s ‘Sinners’ vs ‘One Battle’ as Oscars Day Arrives

An Oscar statue stands on the red carpet the night prior to the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US, March 14, 2026. (Reuters)
An Oscar statue stands on the red carpet the night prior to the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US, March 14, 2026. (Reuters)
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It’s ‘Sinners’ vs ‘One Battle’ as Oscars Day Arrives

An Oscar statue stands on the red carpet the night prior to the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US, March 14, 2026. (Reuters)
An Oscar statue stands on the red carpet the night prior to the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, California, US, March 14, 2026. (Reuters)

After months of expensive campaigns, the Oscars finally arrive Sunday, with all eyes on the race between "One Battle After Another" and "Sinners" for best picture, Hollywood's most coveted prize.

Ahead of the star-packed gala, pundits say the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring political thriller "One Battle" is neck-and-neck with Michael B. Jordan's bluesy vampire horror "Sinners," while several acting prizes are similarly impossible to call.

Either movie could "break multiple Oscar records," Variety awards editor Clayton Davis told AFP.

But until "the final envelope is opened for best picture, we're not going to know who's going to win."

The ceremony -- live on ABC and Hulu from 4:00 pm in Los Angeles (2300 GMT) -- will be hosted for a second year running by comedian Conan O'Brien and will feature live musical performances from "KPop Demon Hunters", as well as "Sinners."

With political tensions running high and war raging in the Middle East, Los Angeles police have tightened security in the streets of Hollywood.

Inside the theater, both the frontrunner films have a chance of breaking the all-time Oscar wins record -- shared at 11 between "Ben-Hur,Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

"Sinners," the tale of gangster twins returning home to a supernatural and segregated Deep South in the 1930s, has already made Academy Awards history with its whopping 16 nominations.

Ryan Coogler, previously best known for "Black Panther," could become the first ever Black person to win best director, in the 98 years of Oscars history.

But "Sinners" will have to surge past "One Battle," this season's frontrunner, about a washed-up, off-grid revolutionary whose teen daughter is being hunted by a white supremacist soldier in a time of immigration raids and political extremism.

Its director Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest auteurs of contemporary US cinema, but has never won any of his 11 previous nominations for films including "There Will Be Blood" and "Boogie Nights."

One Oscars voter, who asked to remain anonymous as Academy members cannot disclose their ballots, told AFP they voted for Anderson "because of his body of work" but admitted the choice was "very tough."

"It is time. I think the Academy will honor" Anderson, they said.

"But that's not to say that Ryan Coogler is not equally deserving."

- Tight races -

While suspense about best picture doesn't happen every year, what is truly unusual this time is the amount of uncertainty surrounding the acting prizes.

Timothee Chalamet had long appeared a lock for his pushy 1950s ping-pong player in "Marty Supreme."

But a series of ill-advised comments, most recently dismissing ballet and opera as art forms that "no one cares about," have seen the 30-year-old golden boy's chances plummet.

The anonymous voter said they try to tune out controversy because "we honor the work and not the personality," but predicted Michael B. Jordan would win the "tight race."

The "Sinners" star plays two roles as twin brothers, and won the important Screen Actors Guild's Actor Award this month, just before Oscars voting closed.

"This is a movie star performance that we don't get very often," said Davis, who also does not rule out DiCaprio or Ethan Hawke ("Blue Moon").

The supporting acting prizes are also up for grabs.

Sean Penn could win a third acting Oscar for his comic yet terrifying soldier in "One Battle."

But he is up against international arthouse favorite Stellan Skarsgard ("Sentimental Value") and veteran Delroy Lindo, who earned his first Oscar nod at 73 for "Sinners."

Supporting actress could see a rare horror villain role rewarded for Amy Madigan in "Weapons," or go to "One Battle" revolutionary Teyana Taylor or "Sinners" Hoodoo healer Wunmi Mosaku.

The only sure thing appears to be best actress nominee Jessie Buckley, who plays William Shakespeare's wife in "Hamnet."

"It's been the steamroller all season. That's the one thing you could take to the bank," said Davis.

- KPop, Redford tributes -

For best international film, Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" will vie with Brazil's surreal political thriller "The Secret Agent."

The annual in memoriam segment for recently passed icons will honor Robert Redford, who died in September, and Rob Reiner, who was murdered in December.

Oscars producers declined to comment on reports that Barbra Streisand will sing a tribute to her "The Way We Were" co-star.

Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the singing voices behind "KPop Demon Hunters" fictional girl group HUNTR/X, will perform the Netflix smash film's Oscar-nominated song "Golden."

Entertainment

Netflix Announces 'Kpop Demon Hunters' Sequel

Figures from the "Kpop Demon Hunters" toy series are on display at Mattel's booth at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, January 26, 2026. (Reuters)
Figures from the "Kpop Demon Hunters" toy series are on display at Mattel's booth at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, January 26, 2026. (Reuters)
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Netflix Announces 'Kpop Demon Hunters' Sequel

Figures from the "Kpop Demon Hunters" toy series are on display at Mattel's booth at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, January 26, 2026. (Reuters)
Figures from the "Kpop Demon Hunters" toy series are on display at Mattel's booth at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany, January 26, 2026. (Reuters)

Streaming giant Netflix announced on Friday it would release a sequel to "Kpop Demon Hunters", its most popular film of all time and a two-time Oscar nominee.

The animated film, about a K-pop girl group descended from demon slayers, is the latest Korean tale to enjoy global recognition.

"KPOP DEMON HUNTERS will return for a sequel written and directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans," Netflix posted on X.

The film is nominated for two Academy Awards this Sunday - Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

Its hit track "Golden", which dominated music charts worldwide, also won Best Song Written for Visual Media, becoming the first K-pop song to win a Grammy.

Korean-Canadian director and writer Maggie Kang, who created the original and will also be in charge of the sequel, previously said that she wanted to "portray Korean culture authentically".

"I feel immense pride as a Korean filmmaker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters," Kang said, according to Netflix.

Launched in June last year, the film followed the critical success of other works exploring Korean and diasporic experiences, such as "Parasite", "Squid Game" and "Pachinko".