The "Romeo + Juliet" Cast Then Vs Now

It's been 22 years since Baz Luhrmann's iconic movie graced our screens.

Leonardo DiCaprio – Romeo

20th Century Fox, Isaac Brekken / Getty Images

Fun fact: Leonardo DiCaprio was so passionate about the movie, he flew to director Baz Luhrmann's home in Australia to do a video workshop in order to get the project greenlit.

Claire Danes – Juliet

20th Century Fox, Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images

Fun fact: Claire Danes wears a wig throughout the movie, and even had a special aquatic one for the pool scenes.

John Leguizamo – Tybalt

20th Century Fox, Jemal Countess / Getty Images

Fun fact: Benicio Del Toro was also considered for the role of Tybalt, while John Leguizamo originally auditioned for Mercutio.

Harold Perrineau – Mercutio

20th Century Fox, Amanda Edwards / Getty Images

Fun fact: Mercutio's dramatic death scene was actually filmed during a hurricane – they got the shots just in time, before the storm became too strong.

Paul Rudd – Dave Paris

20th Century Fox, Kristy Sparow / Getty Images

Fun fact: Claire Danes actually wasn't the first choice for Juliet. Natalie Portman was cast, but as she was only 13 at the time, the age difference between her and Leonardo DiCaprio (then 21) and Paul Rudd (then 26) really didn't work.

Dash Mihok – Benvolio

20th Century Fox, Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images

Fun fact: All the guns in the movie are named after swords – Benvolio carries a SWORD 9mm Series S, while Mercutio uses a DAGGER 9mm and Tybalt has a RAPIER 9mm.

Jesse Bradford – Balthasar

Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images

Fun fact: Baby-faced Bradford was only 17 when the movie was released.

Miriam Margolyes – Nurse

20th Century Fox

Fun fact: Yes, that is Professor Sprout from Harry Potter.

Jamie Kennedy – Sampson

20th Century Fox, Michael Kovac

Fun fact: Sampson and Gregory are actually Capulets in the original play, not Montagues as they are in the movie.

Zak Orth – Gregory

20th Century Fox, Mike Coppola / Getty Images

Fun fact: The opening gas station encounter between the Montagues and the Capulets took seven days to film.

Vincent Laresca – Abra

20th Century Fox, Angela Weiss / Getty Images

Fun fact: Abra says "double, double, toil and trouble" at the beginning of the movie, which is actually a quote from Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Paul Sorvino – Fulgencio Capulet

20th Century Fox, Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

Fun fact: The costumes at the Capulet ball all represent the characters' personalities – so Romeo is a knight, Juliet is an angel, Tybalt is a devil – and Fulgencio is an emperor.

Diane Venora – Gloria Capulet

20th Century Fox, Pine Tree Pictures

Fun fact: This was not Venora's first Shakespearean screen credit – she also starred in A Midsummer Night's Dream TV movie in the '80s.

Brian Dennehy – Ted Montague

20th Century Fox, Theo Wargo / Getty Images

Fun fact: Like the younger Montagues, Ted arms himself with a type of "sword" – a LONGSWORD gun.

Christina Pickles – Caroline Montague

20th Century Fox, Lisa O'connor / AFP / Getty Images

Fun fact: You probably recognise Pickles from Friends – she plays Ross and Monica's mother.

Vondie Curtis-Hall – Captain Prince

20th Century Fox, Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

Fun fact: In the original play, this character is actually the prince of Verona, while in the movie his role was modernised to make him the police captain.

Ever wonder what Romeo and Juliet would be like in 2018? Find out with BuzzFeed’s limited series on Instagram! Follow @delightsandends, @hopeless.romeo, @juliet_bythebook, @queen_tybalt, @paris_not_perez and @mercutie_yo for the drama.

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