You’d never imagine Natalie Portman, who has established a reputation as one of Hollywood’s hard-working actors, was ever let go from a prominent role. Long before Claire Danes was cast as Juliet, DiCaprio was originally supposed to portray Romeo alongside Natalie Portman in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.
Romeo + Juliet is regarded as one of Hollywood’s best romantic films. Although Claire Danes’ portrayal of Juliet impressed viewers, she wasn’t the original choice. Yes, it was Natalie Portman, who had already been cast in the famous Shakespearean classic. Despite the fact that Portman was first chosen as the lead, director Luhrmann and the production team quickly realized that that was not the best choice at the time.
Why Natalie Portman Was Fired From Starring Alongside Leonardo DiCaprio?
Both DiCaprio and Portman have well-known romantic roles under their belts today. Their early professional lives were diverse, nevertheless.
Baz Luhrmann was working on an adaptation of the timeless tragedy, Romeo + Juliet, in the middle of the 1990s. Being only 13 years old at the time and able to depict Juliet’s youth, Natalie Portman was one of the first names to be chosen for the role. However, when Leonardo DiCaprio was chosen to play Romeo, Luhrmann suddenly faced a dilemma. DiCaprio was 21 years old, thus there was an obvious age gap between him and Portman that many would find uncomfortable.
During an interview, Portman explained why she didn’t appear in the film.
“It was a complicated situation and it had to do with 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 [Luhrmann]. It was kind of a mutual decision too that it just wasn’t going to be right at the time.”
Romeo + Juliet ended up being a commercial success, making over $147 million globally and receiving multiple accolades, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction.
Natalie Portman Has Had A Successful Hollywood Career Despite Being Fired From Romeo + Juliet
Despite not getting the role in Romeo + Juliet, Natalie Portman has had a great Hollywood career. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes played the main characters in Romeo + Juliet, a 1996 film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic play that was directed by Baz Luhrmann.
Although Natalie Portman didn’t appear in Romeo + Juliet, she had already established her reputation. In the 1994 movie Léon: The Professional, Portman played Mathilda, a young girl taken in by a hitman. Portman received noteworthy praise and accolades for the role. Her portrayal in that movie proved her talent and potential, which opened up a lot of doors for her in the industry.
After Leon: The Professional, Portman continued to make progress in her career with renowned roles in other movies, displaying her versatility and adaptability as an actress. Her role as Queen Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005) helped her further establish her reputation and make her a household name.
Portman has received multiple awards for her talent and dedication to her profession over the course of her career, including an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Black Swan (2010). She has been in many well-known movies as V for Vendetta (2005), Closer (2004), Jackie (2016), and Annihilation (2018).
Her Hollywood career has flourished because of her talent, commitment, and capacity for continuously delivering captivating performances. Despite not being a part of Romeo + Juliet, she has constantly given strong performances and made a name for herself in the industry.
Source: The Things
