Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career, between 1591 and 1595, about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. Many think of it as the ultimate love story, but this is most definitely what it is not. It is a one-night stand between two horny teenagers that six individuals had to pay for with their lives.
Anyway, in the tragedy Romeo is given the age of 16 years and Juliet is given the age of 13 years. However, when staged, seldom if ever did the age of the actors match (or at least approximate) those of the characters.
Wikipedia lists 47 direct film adaptations of the tragedy, the oldest one being J. Stuart Blackton’s “Romeo and Juliet, A Romantic Story of the Ancient Feud Between the Italian Houses of Montague and Capulet” from 1908, and the newest (so far) Anthony Tresca’s “The Comedy of Romeo and Juliet” from 2021.
How old were the actors in the titular roles in some of those?
In J. Stuart Blackton’s 1908 “Romeo and Juliet, A Romantic Story of the Ancient Feud Between the Italian Houses of Montague and Capulet”, 22-year old Florence Lawrence played Juliet and 36-year old Paul Panzer played Romeo.
In Mario Caserini’s 1908 «Romeo e Giulietta», 24-year old Maria Caserini played Giulietta and 34-year old Mario Caserini played Romeo.
In Ugo Falena’s 1912 «Romeo e Giulietta», 20-year old Francesca Bertini played Giulietta and 30-year old Gustavo Serena played Romeo.
In John W. Noble’s and Francis X. Bushman’s 1906 “Romeo and Juliet”, 22-year old Beverly Bayne played Juliet and 33-year old Francis X. Bushman played Romeo.
In J. Gordon Edwards’s 1916 “Romeo and Juliet”, 31-year old Theda Bara played Juliet and 30-year old Harry Hilliard played Romeo.
In George Cukor’s 1936 “Romeo and Juliet”, 34-year old Norma Shearer played Juliet and 43-year old Leslie Howard played Romeo.
In Renato Castellani’s 1954 «Giulietta e Romeo», 20-year old Susan Shentall played Giulietta and 26-year old Laurence Harvey played Romeo.
In Riccardo Freda’s 1964 «Romeo e Giulietta», 20-year old Rosemarie Dexter played Giulietta and 23-year old Geronimo Meynier played Romeo.
In Alvin Rakoff’s 1978 “Romeo & Juliet”, 15-year old Rebecca Saire played Juliet and 26-year old Patrick Ryecart played Romeo.
In William Woodman’s 1982 “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet”, 26-year old Blanche Baker played Juliet and 23-year old Alex Hyde-White played Romeo.
In Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 “Romeo + Juliet”, 17-year old Claire Danes played Juliet and 22-year old Leonardo DiCaprio played Romeo.
In Carlo Carlei’s 2013 “Romeo & Juliet”, 17-year old Hailee Steinfeld played Juliet and 21-year old Douglas Booth played Romeo.
In Don Roy King’s 2013 “Romeo and Juliet”, 27-year old Condola Rashad played Juliet and 36-year old Orlando Bloom played Romeo.
As we can see, all of the actors were older than the characters, the absolute champions being Norma Shearer playing a 34-year old Juliet and Leslie Howard playing a 43-year old Romeo[1]. Still, some of the actors do come close to the characters’ ages, like 15-year old Rebecca Saire and 17-year old Claire Danes and Hailee Steinfeld.
The most famous and best film adaptation of the tragedy surely is Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 “Romeo and Juliet” with a couple of young actors, 15-year old Olivia Hussey playing Juliet and 16-year old Leonard Whiting playing Romeo. Both Hussey and Whiting won the Golden Plate Award at the David di Donatello Awards, and the Most Promising Newcomer Award at the Golden Globe Awards for starring in this film[2].
On 30 December 2022, both Hussey and Whiting filed a $500 million lawsuit against Paramount Pictures[3] for sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, and fraud, 54 years after the fact! So it took them both 54 years to become aware that they have suffered emotional damage and mental anguish!
Supporting the lawsuit Hussey declared to Fox News in 2018 (4 years before the lawsuit itself though!) that she had felt at ease on the set when filming the nude scene: “We shot it at the end of the film. So by that time … we’ve become one big family. It wasn’t that big of a deal. And Leonard wasn’t shy at all! In the middle of shooting I just completely forgot I didn’t have clothes on.”[4]
The same year she corroborated a similar accusation to Variety, adding that Zeffirelli shot the nude scene tastefully: “Nobody my age had done that before. It was needed for the film. Everyone thinks they were so young they didn’t realize what they were doing. But we were very aware. We both came from drama schools and when you work you take your work very seriously.”[5]
I am not so sure about Withing, but Olivia Hussey did not shun nude scenes in her acting career, namely as Chris Walters in Brian Trenchard-Smith’s 1982 Australian dystopian action film “Turkey Shoot”, as Norma Bates in Mick Garris’s 1990 USA made-for-television slasher film “Psycho IV: The Beginning”, or as Petra in Judy Hecht Dumontet’s 2005 independent comedy film “Tortilla Heaven”[6]. So she could hardly be characterised as prudish.
The question remains: why it took them both 54 years to realise that they were “sexually exploited”, “sexually harassed”, and “frauded”? Did they really need 54 years to grow up enough mentally to be aware of all that? Or were they waiting for the right oppressive political climate spreading like a fungal disease from the USA to emerge to conclude all that? Or were they finally convinced and forced by narrow-minded bigoted backwater liewyers (ombusmut being the worst of them all), Feminazis and Social Justice Wankers to sue? Has the fact that neither Hussey nor Withing did any proper acting job worth noticing in the last seven years, since they played Julia’s parents in Bruce Webb’s 2015 film “Social Suicide”, also inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, played the role in the decision to sue, to seize the opportunity to remind the public of their existence[7]?
I have no doubt that in this case and in this repressive dark ages’ atmosphere there would be no fair trial!
[1] This is as if, let us say, a 24-year old John Travolta and 30-year old Olivia Newton-John would play high-school students… Ooops!
[2] As far as I know, the only awards they have ever received throughout their acting careers.
[3] Three years after director Zeffirelli’s death.
[4] Nolasco, Stephanie (3 August 2018). “Olivia Hussey recalls controversial ‘Romeo and Juliet’ role at 16, reveals personal tragedies”. Fox News. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
“What Romeo & Juliet actors said about 1968 film before suing”. Newsweek. 4 January 2023.
[5] King, Susan (7 October 2018). “ ‘Romeo & Juliet’ at 50: Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting on Viewers’ Big Question”. Variety. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
“Romeo and Juliet: Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting sue over 1968 film’s ‘sexual abuse’ ”. BBC News. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
[6] Stills from these films can be seen here.
[7] They would not be the first to claim some sexual misconduct years after it allegedly “happened”, but in a period when the accuser’s fame and glory has burnt out a long time ago.
Linguist's eye on things 