Romeo + Juliet: Harold Perrineau Reflects on Making Baz Luhrmann Classic

By Jenna Anderson

Romeo + Juliet has become a cultural staple for nearly twenty years, thanks to director Baz Luhrmann's stylish and unconventional approach to the Shakespearean epic. The 1996 film boasts a star-studded ensemble cast, including Harold Perrineau in the scene-stealing role of Mercutio. Perrineau reflected on Romeo + Juliet while speaking to ComicBook.com's Chris Killian about From Season 2, which premieres on Sunday, April 23, 2023, on MGM+.

"Baz is flamboyant, as you can see in his movies," Perrineau explained. "He's just big and audacious and all that stuff. And I just jumped on to see if I could, if I could jump into that space with him. I think it was my sixth audition for this, for this thing — and they auditioned every actor in New York City for these roles — my sixth audition, I remember I was laying on top of the table and Baz Luhrmann with a camera straddling me, shooting right above me. And I was like, 'Oh, we're about to go on a ride here. This whole thing is gonna be wild.' So, you know, Baz had these ideas that were big and broad and I just tried to bring all the stuff that I had in my arsenal that matched that energy. You know what I mean? I had read it like everybody else, and considered it traditionally, and Baz had this whole other idea. So I can give him all the credit for that, and he deserves [it]."

Will there be an extended cut of Elvis?

There's been a lot of talk about Luhrmann's latest film, last year's Elvis biopic chronicling the life of Elvis Presley. Luhrmann hinted to ScreenRant last year, that his rumored four-hour cut of Elvis could potentially be released — at a later date.

"Not now, and not probably next year," Luhrmann explained. "But I don't close my mind to the idea that in the future, there might be a way of exploring another [cut]. I've got to be really careful here, because the moment I put it out there... I tell you what, all my tweets are nothing but, 'We want the four-hour version! We want the four-hour version!' I think people are at my gates with pitchforks saying, 'We want the four-hour version!' But I don't close my mind to the idea that there would be an extended cut. Right now, with how long it's stayed in the theaters and how well it's done, it's crossed the line. But it's done so well on HBO Max over the weekend, so it's about the parent company going, 'Wow, it's really worth spending the money.'"

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"Because it isn't just like I've got it, and you just put it out there," Luhrmann continued. "Every minute in post-production, you have to do visual effects, grading, cutting, refining, and ADR sound. It's not like it's just sitting there finished, and I can just push a button and it comes out. You'd have to get back in and work on it. To do an extended cut, you'd be working on it for another four or six months something. I'm not closed to it, but not now. I'm a little bit on the tired side."

What did you think of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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