Claire Danes on Her ‘Gutteral Sob’ Making “Romeo + Juliet ”and the Lesson She Learned From Leonardo DiCaprio: ‘Don’t Eff Around’

Claire Danes recently shared her experiences from the iconic 1996 film “Romeo + Juliet,” where she co-starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. In a conversation with Richard Gadd for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Danes, now 47, reflected on her teenage years while filming this modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play.

Danes, then just 17, recalled a memorable moment on the set that showcased the dynamic between herself and DiCaprio, who was 21 at the time. As they tackled the intricate emotional scenes, Danes remembered playfully toying with a prop gun, which led DiCaprio to intervene seriously. “I remember just kind of blithely playing with the prop gun and putting it to my head, and Leo getting very serious and saying like, ‘Claire, we don’t do that. Don’t mess around,’” she recounted. Although she revealed that she was merely being playful, she acknowledged DiCaprio’s concern was valid.

During their discussion, Gadd reminisced about an essay he wrote during school, focusing on Danes’ powerful “guttural sob” in the film. This heartfelt moment occurred when her character, Juliet, learned of Romeo’s tragic fate. Danes expressed her surprise at how authentically she was able to portray such raw emotion. “I was startled by my response, which is what we hope for,” she stated, noting that such moments can be elusive for actors.

Danes credited the film’s director, Baz Luhrmann, for creating an effective environment that facilitated her emotional performance. She described the set as “epic,” which helped to elicit strong feelings tied into her character’s experience. The actress explained that Luhrmann aimed to make the film accessible, stripping it of pretensions and focusing on clarity of intention and language, a mission she found exhilarating.

The cast of “Romeo + Juliet” included notable actors such as Paul Sorvino, John Leguizamo, and Harold Perrineau. The film achieved significant commercial success, grossing over $147 million, and garnered multiple nominations and awards, highlighting its impact on cinema. While the reviews were mixed at the time of release, the film has since developed a robust legacy, celebrated for the chemistry between Danes and DiCaprio and Perrineau’s standout performance as Mercutio.

After the film, DiCaprio soared to international fame with his role in “Titanic.” Danes, on the other hand, gravitated towards independent films before making a successful transition to television. She became widely known for her role in the acclaimed series “Homeland,” which aired from 2011 to 2020.

Interestingly, Danes revealed that she was offered the leading role of Rose in “Titanic.” However, she turned it down, feeling unprepared for the level of fame that would accompany such a blockbuster. “I had just made this romantic epic with Leo in Mexico City, which is where they were going to shoot Titanic, and I just didn’t have it in me,” she explained. This decision was not easy, as she confessed she and DiCaprio both had hesitations about participating in the film.

Reflecting on DiCaprio’s subsequent rise to stardom, Danes recounted her own feelings about fame. “After that movie came out, he just went into another stratosphere,” she said, implying that she was acutely aware of the intensity of the celebrity lifestyle they were both navigating. “I think I may have sensed that I was courting that [level of fame]… I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t want it,” she confessed.

Now, as Danes continues to evolve her acting career — most recently starring in the miniseries “The Beast in Me” — she looks back on her formative years with appreciation. Her experiences while filming “Romeo + Juliet” have undoubtedly shaped her journey, both personally and professionally. The film remains a significant milestone, not just for its narrative but also for the emotional resonance that Danes and her co-stars successfully captured during its production.