While we understand the broad line separating fiction from reality, one can’t help but think that sparks fly between actors when filming a romantic drama, particularly one as inspired as Romeo and Juliet, the classic play by William Shakespeare. The story is so emotionally impactful as a romance and tragedy that it’s only human nature for sentimentality to seep through an actor’s professionalism. Early in their rise to stardom, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes thrived as the luminous star-crossed lovers in Baz Luhrmann‘s gonzo adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, Romeo + Juliet. They have the scintillating kind of chemistry that the Bard of Avon would’ve dreamed of, and it felt as though their on-screen rapport was enough to ignite a celebrity couple. However, like Luhrmann’s glitzy style, it was all a mirage, as DiCaprio and Danes allegedly couldn’t stand each other.
Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Romeo + Juliet’ Modernized Shakespeare’s Classic Romantic Tragedy
Before he left audiences swooning as Jack Dawson in Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio, then recently Oscar-nominated for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, honed his craft by playing one of the formative romantic leads in history, Romeo Montague, who falls in love with Juliet Capulet, a member of the Montagues’ rival family. Claire Danes, off the heels of My So-Called Life on television, was primed to make the leap to movie star, as she previously shined as Beth March in Gillian Armstrong‘s adaptation of Little Women.
Together, along with a groundbreaking visionary in Baz Luhrmann, whose authorship is one of the most distinct of any director in history, Romeo + Juliet was a product of pure magic, honoring Shakespeare’s work while forming its own identity. Although the story of the two fateful lovers is set against the backdrop of a violent turf war and is located in the present-day fictional city of Verona Beach, the dialogue retains the archaic Shakespearean English. The cross of two contrasting concepts is pure Luhrmann, who is no stranger to anachronistic music or cultural artifacts.
Romeo and Juliet is practically synonymous with romantic tragedies in all forms of fiction. Carrying this burden is a heavy task, but DiCaprio and Danes are wholly magnetic. They evoke Luhrmann’s postmodern spin on the text with their youthfulness and effervescence, and they possess the gravitas and theatricality required to fulfill Shakespeare’s dramaturgy.
Did Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes Clash During ‘Romeo + Juliet’?
Based on their charming chemistry, you would never guess that the two of them didn’t get along on the set of Romeo + Juliet. An inherent conflict emerged with their respective casting, as DiCaprio was 21 and Danes was only 16. However, Danes allegedly found the future Oscar-winning star of The Revenant to be immature. On the flip side, DiCaprio is rumored to have found Danes “uptight” while filming. According to the source linked below, the pair barely spoke to one other away from the camera. The feud appeared to have stemmed from their conflicting personalities, with DiCaprio being more loose and energetic, while Danes preferred to remain serene. For a young woman like Danes, required to be topless and intimate with her co-star, the film was understandably a challenge, and anyone causing a reckless stir could cause incessant headaches. Still, despite their alleged contested relationship, DiCaprio complimented Danes on her maturity.
Speaking to W Magazine, Danes reflected on her time shooting Romeo + Juliet and the hazards of working alongside every teen in America’s crush during the 1990s. “I couldn’t really have a crush on the guy I was professionally having a crush on!” she remarked. Being at such a young age in this professional environment, it’s plausible that any reports of a feuding relationship between the actors merely stemmed from adolescent immaturity. While the legend of their feud has entered the public consciousness, Danes has been nothing but cordial to her co-star in the press. “He’s been a genius for decades, and he’s not very old. He’s such an exquisite actor and we’ve all adored him,” Danes said about DiCaprio during his Revenant Oscar campaign.
Considering that the two have never worked together on screen since playing the tragic lovers, it’s easy to buy into the rumors of their detestation. Riding off the success of Romeo + Juliet, Danes was offered the role of Rose DeWitt in Titanic, eventually played by Kate Winslet, who formed an even more iconic on-screen romance with DiCaprio. Danes turned it down because she experienced fatigue from shooting abroad on Luhrmann’s film and wasn’t prepared for another challenging shoot. By all accounts, she has never claimed her reason for turning down Titanic was due to a feud with DiCaprio. Despite the film’s overwhelming success, Danes does not seem to regret her decision. While the rapport between Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes may not have amounted to a Hollywood romance, it appears that the two have settled all differences, if they even had a dispute at all.
Romeo + Juliet
Shakespeare’s famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.
- Release Date
- November 1, 1996
- Runtime
- 120 minutes
Romeo + Juliet is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
