Why Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio clashed on the set of ‘Romeo + Juliet’
On-screen chemistry does not guarantee on-set camaraderie. Looking for proof? Let me point you in the direction of one of Baz Luhrmann’s most beloved films, 1996’s Romeo + Juliet, which starred Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes as the titular star-crossed lovers. I always imagined the two actors were the best of friends – just like DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were during the making of Titanic. How wrong I was.
Romeo +Juliet saw Baz Luhrmann adapt and update Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy for the big screen. Viewers found themselves not in the medieval city of Verona, Italy, but in Verona Beach, an ocean-facing quarter of a post-modern city faintly reminiscent of LA. The story itself remains much the same: Romeo and Juliet are from two rival families, the Capulets and the Montagues. After meeting at a masked ball and falling madly in love, they begin a secret romance that threatens to overturn a fragile peace.
Danes wasn’t Luhrmann’s first choice for Juliet. The director had been mulling over the idea of casting Natalie Portman, although he eventually decided the age gap would be inappropriate. Speaking to HelloGiggles, Portman recalled: “At the time I was 13 and Leonardo was 21. And it wasn’t appropriate in the eyes of the film company or the director, Baz. It was kind of a mutual decision too that it just wasn’t going to be right at the time.” She went on to note: “I think the film came out really, really beautifully and Claire Danes did a really, really wonderful job.”
Wonderful job or not, since the film premiered in 1996, various reports have alleged that Danes and DiCaprio didn’t always see eye to eye, with Danes finding DiCaprio’s constant pranking tiresome. Danes was just 17 at the time, while DiCaprio was 21. It’s rumoured that the young actress found Leo a little immature and that he found Clare “uptight”. According to some sources, the pair barely spoke to one another when not filming scenes together.
It’s possible these reports were blown out of proportion for the sake of a good story, however. Danes may have found DiCaprio’s pranks a little frustrating, but that didn’t stop her from recognising his more amorous qualities. Speaking to W Magazine, Danes implied that she, like everyone at the time, had a small crush on her co-star: “That was problematic. I couldn’t really have a crush on the guy I was professionally having a crush on,” she began. “Quite a few gay men have talked to me about the fact that when they were kids watching Romeo + Juliet, they were confused about who they wanted to kiss. It was all about Leo! And I completely understand.”
