


Samson was originally a Capulet in the play, though Luhrmann changed some family allegiances. Jamie Kennedy as Samson Montague: Samson is Romeo’s pink-haired cousin who is featured in the opening gunfight between the warring families. Caroline is the wife of Montague patriarch Ted and is very protective of her son. Elsewhere, Christina Pickles plays Romeo’s mother Caroline Montague. Ted is portrayed by Brian Dennehy who is notable for his roles in Death of a Salesman, First Blood, and Tommy Boy.Ĭhristina Pickles as Caroline Montague: Most well-known for her roles as Ross and Monica’s mother Judy Geller on Friends and Nurse Helen Rosenthal on St. Romeo’s father isn’t extremely present in the film, though is more supportive of his son’s well-being than Fulgencio is of his daughter’s. He also played Phil Cerreta on Law & Order and was featured in Reds, Nixon, and A Touch of Class.īrian Dennehy as Ted Montague: The rival to Fulgencio Capulet, Ted is Romeo’s father and the head of the Montague family empire.

Sorvino’s most notable role is mob boss Paulie Cicero in Goodfellas, a role comparable to his Romeo + Juliet character.

Fulgencio is the head of the Capulet family and is resented by Juliet for forcing her to marry Dave Paris. Paul Sorvino as Fulgencio Capulet: Juliet’s father and Capulet empire boss renowned actor Paul Sorvino. Luhrmann is also well-known for including several Grammy-nominated soundtracks in his films, and while Romeo + Juliet’s never received award recognition, it reached #2 on Billboard 200 and went triple-platinum. The modern Shakespeare adaptation is directed by auteur Baz Luhrmann, notable for his trippy, fast, colorfully designed filmmaking exuded in his “Red Curtain Trilogy,” consisting of Romeo + Juliet, Strictly Ballroom, and Moulin Rouge! While the trilogy doesn’t connect in the traditional saga sense, they are grouped by an era of his filmmaking design that are markedly similar and original. Instead of Romeo and Juliet hailing from rival political factions of the 1500s, the young teens come from feuding mafia families fronted by business empires. Based on the classic tragedy by William Shakespeare, Romeo + Juliet modernizes the play’s context to the 1990s while keeping the original dialogue. Hulu recently added Romeo + Juliet to its catalog, so here’s a breakdown of the cast and characters to help follow along.
