Olivia Hussey
This is a beautiful film visually and conceptually, but the one person I will never forget is Juliet (Olivia Hussey). She was a standout amongst the cast and a wonderfully beautiful girl.
share[deleted]
I too cannot imagine anyone else other than Olivia in this film. But I do wonder how that other girl must have felt losing the part simply because she had cut her hair. She must have been devastated. I wonder what became of her?
share[deleted]
Here is the paragraph from Zeffirelli's autobiography about the casting of Olivia.
"The girl was more a problem. I had seen Olivia early on in the tests. She had some talent, but she was unfortunately overweight, clumsy-looking and bit her nails constantly - hardly the delicate Juliet I dreamt of. My first choice was a really beautiful girl who stood out because of her sensational hair, a golden cascade that was her best feature. I called her back a month later for a second test, but, when she walked in, my heart sank. The unisex era was just dawning and she had had her golden locks trimmed to look like a boy's. I was almost in tears, not merely because I had lost my Juliet but also because she had lost her chance of a lifetime ... In desperation I summoned back some of those I had earlier rejected and that was how I stumbled on the amazing transformation of Olivia. She was a new woman: she had lost weight dramatically. Her magnificent bone structure was becoming apparent, with those wide expressive eyes and her whole angular self. She was now the real Juliet, a gawky colt of a girl waiting for life to begin. I had my cast."
Zefferelli is a bit harsh here and he deserves to be slapped with a 2 by 4.
share[deleted]
He said nothing harsh. It's a basic fact for ANY hiring manager: You have 100 applicants and only 1 position to fill. You have to use strict criteria to determine which 99 you will reject.
Welcome to the real world.
I will never regret Zeffirelli's casting of Hussey, as she is exquisite in this film. However, Zeffirelli had never heard of wigs?
The war is not meant to be won... it is meant to be continuous.
[deleted]
Absolutely beautiful girl. I watched this version in senior school when I was 12 and I loved it. It's still my favourite version. And Olivia was just stunning. The perfect Juliet. And it was right that she didn't have golden hair, as Zefferelli wanted. I always envisioned Shakespeare's Juliet as a dark-haired beauty.
Justice for the 96
-15th April 1989
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE