Romeo & Juliet
Jessie Buckley and Josh O’connor on playing Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers
THE IDEA OF LIVING WITHOUT SOMEONE YOU REALLY LOVE FEELS MEANINGLESS…
JOSH O’CONNOR
Dreams, desire and destiny collide with a star-spangled cast to create a modern reimagining of William Shakespeare’s definitive romantic tragedy this Easter Sunday.
Set in Italy, 90-minute spectacular Romeo & Juliet is a collaboration between the National Theatre (NT) and Sky Arts, and sees actors Josh O’connor (who recently won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Prince Charles in Netflix hit The Crown) and Jessie Buckley (Chernobyl, War & Peace) play the star-crossed lovers.
TV Times joined Josh, 30, and Jessie, 31, for a video chat to find out more…
You were set to perform Romeo & Juliet at the NT’S Olivier Theatre in London last summer, but then the pandemic hit. How different is the film version, shot instead on the theatre’s Lyttelton stage? JESSIE
We hadn’t gone too far down the road on the stage production when we realised it wasn’t going to be possible. I didn’t really know if I wanted to do a film version – I was a bit scared! Everything we thought it was going to be was completely different.
JOSH But Simon Godwin, the director, is pure collaboration and all about rehearsals. So I’m sure it would have had a similar process to this had it been on stage – we would have still arrived on day one and gone, ‘Let’s work out what this world is.’
Did you study Romeo & Juliet when you were at school? JOSH
I don’t know if I did… or, if I did, I clearly didn’t pay much attention! I remember seeing the Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli films, and loving both, when I was quite young. I’ve also seen the play quite a few times. When I was at drama school, I saw a version at the Bristol Old Vic set in an old people’s home, where Siân Phillips played Juliet. It was so beautiful, as they found love just before they died. I was sobbing! Did you study it at school, Jessie?
JESSIE No, I didn’t and I have actually never seen it on stage. I read it at RADA when I was there. It’s one of the saddest plays – I loved it, and I was terrified of it!
Why do you think the story has stood the test of time?
JESSIE
Love is massive – I haven’t got a clue about it! I think that’s why people probably keep coming back to it – to try and figure it out.
JOSH Often with
Romeo & Juliet, there’s a kind of laziness where we go, ‘Oh, they’re young, it’s first love, they’re naive, and they die for each other.’ But what if it’s real love, and the idea of dying for each other is an act of hope and commitment? Love is messed up and it’s super-dark, and the idea of living without someone you love feels meaningless, cold and isolating.
How was filming under socialdistancing restrictions?
JOSH
Obviously, a bunch of theatre actors not being able to hug and kiss each other was a nightmare! Every time we walked into the room, we would sanitise and put masks on. And there were rules about when Jessie and I could rehearse the balcony scene; we’d have a COVID test and then have a three-hour window to be in close proximity.
But overall it was one of the most magical experiences of my career.
JESSIE Yes, it’s something that
I will cherish for a long time, because against the odds we used our imagination to make something live again.