Visitors in Verona have long believed that touching the right breast of the Juliet statue brings luck in love, a superstition that famously led to a hole appearing in the statue after repeated contact. An Italian publication covered the incident, noting the public reaction and the ongoing fascination with this romantic superstition as reported by ANSA.
The original sculpture, first molded by Nereo Costantini in 1972, was eventually moved to a museum in 2014 to protect it from further wear caused by enthusiastic visitors. The statue that sustained the damage was a faithful copy, while the original remained preserved elsewhere for posterity and study. The museum display offers a tangible reminder of Verona’s enduring association with Shakespeare’s most famous romance and the way myths about love persist through time.
In a separate matter from the Verona landmark, a federal case involving the cast of a 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet took a significant turn when a former judge in Los Angeles dismissed a lawsuit filed by Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. The actors had accused director Franco Zeffirelli and Paramount Pictures of pressuring them into nude scenes and alleging sexual assault. Although the dismissal closed that chapter for now, the actors’ legal team signaled plans to pursue the matter again in federal court, aiming to explore potential rights and remedies in a different legal forum. Experts note that cases of this kind hinge on film production contexts, consent, and the evolving standards of safeguarding performers on set, with outcomes often shaping how studios approach intimate scenes in later productions. This development drew attention across entertainment and legal circles as observers weighed the implications for film history and artists’ protections.
Separately, the project by director Timur Bekmambetov, titled Romeo and Juliet, had previously earned recognition at the American Festival Awards, highlighting the ongoing interest in diverse modern adaptations of Shakespeare’s most celebrated tragedy. The award signaling suggests a continued appetite for innovative cinematic interpretations of classic narratives, as audiences in North America and beyond engage with both familiar settings and fresh storytelling approaches that bring a new lens to an established story.