September, 1996

Literary Darlings

Aussie director Baz Luhrmann ("Strictly Ballroom") surfs the latest Bard wave with his eagerly awaited "William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet" (still to come: "Twelfth Night" and Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet") starring Leonard DiCaprio and Claire Danes. But if you're thinking medieval props, forget it. "Baz wanted to make Shakespeare accessible, so we have guns and clothes by Prada," says Danes, 17. "He wanted to make it real so kids my age can say, 'Oh, I get it.'" The actress says that shooting in sunny Mexico had its downside: "We all got turista and took turns in the bathroom."
 

© 1996, US