50 years have passed since Olivia Hussey first gained notoriety for her portrayal of the tragic Juliet in the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, and now the iconic actress is sharing her memories—both joyous and painful—in a new book, The Girl on the Balcony.
Hussey, 67, describes her journey to PEOPLE as “quite a life.” “I’m glad I made it through it all,”
Hussey, who was born in Buenos Aires and was reared in London, landed the coveted role of Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s film, which went on to become an international smash, when she was just 15 years old.
Hussey laments, “So much occurred so quickly.” “I wasn’t ready for it. It was overnight superstardom.”
Hussey was overwhelmed by the fame and attention, so she took a step back and concentrated on her developing romance with young actor Christopher Jones, whom she had met through her agent, Rudi Altobelli.
However, Jones started abusing her not long after they started dating. He punched me in the stomach when Hussey and another person were conversing, according to Hussey. Hussey stood by him despite the continuing verbal and physical assault. She claims, “I was young and I loved him.” I was incredibly dependable.
Hussey remembers her brief encounter with a pregnant Sharon Tate, who was renting Altobelli’s Los Angeles home in the summer of 1969 with her husband, Roman Polanski.
Hussey recalls their phone conversation: “I said to Sharon, ‘Rudy said we’re going to be best friends. “I’m really excited to meet you, my baby is coming soon, she said when I asked. She was so nice.”
Hussey intended to settle at the guest house in Los Angeles. She explains, “I was supposed to stay there and get to help Sharon with the baby. “Rudi then received the call.”
The call was to break the devastating news that Tate and four other people had been killed on August 9 while Altobelli was away from home.
Hussey recalls, “I’ll never forget what Rudi told me. “They are all dead, he declared. It was awful.”
However, Hussey, who had found the fortitude to end his relationship with Jones, moved into the home just five weeks after the killings.
People would question how she could ever live there, she claims. “”In England, most of the houses have terrible memories,” I would add. It’s not really a huge issue.”
Hussey opined: “I could only detect Sharon’s vibration. And it was beautiful. I kept the orange scarf she had placed on my prayer table for many years.”
However, Hussey’s worst dread was still to come.
Jones unexpectedly arrived at the residence one night and viciously attacked and r@ped her. Hussey claims, “I didn’t know if he was going to murder me.” “My face appeared to be inflating. My mouth was split open, I had a black eye, and I had a bloody nose. It was frightening.”
Hussey didn’t tell many people about the incident until a few weeks afterwards (Jones passed away in 2014).
She describes her subsequent abortion in the book by saying, “I decided I could not bear the baby.” Despite the fact that it destroyed my heart, I never looked back.
Even so, Hussey claims that the bright side was meeting Dean Paul Martin, the singer Dean Martin’s son, who would eventually become her husband.
Hussey explains, “I fell for him because of the way he treated me and took care of me. In 1971, the couple were married and welcomed Alex, who is now 45. Although they broke up in 1979, they stayed close friends up until his terrible death in an aircraft crash in 1987.
Before meeting her current husband of 29 years, musician David Glen Eisley, with whom she had a daughter India, 24, Hussey had another son, Max, age 35, with her second husband, Japanese singer Akira Fuse.
In order to get through difficult times, Hussey states that “everyone has their concerns and their troubles.” But I’m so content.