Natalie Portman

Project: Romeo + Juliet

The 1990s adaptation of the Shakespeare classic Romeo and Juliet still remains one of the best and most iconic versions of the film. However, did you know that the movie could have turned out very differently? Instead of Claire Danes, we could have seen Natalie Portman take on the role of Juliet! Portman landed the role when she was just thirteen years old. This was after her film debut in Leon: the Professional, which garnered much praise.

Perhaps this is the reason why filmmaker Baz Luhrmann decided to cast her. However, despite her talent, the actress’ age got in the way of her fulfilling the role. DiCaprio was already 21 at the time, so the age gap was not appropriate for both the studio executives and the director himself. As such, they decided not to make the investment and Portman was fired from the production.