- The House of Montague
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo Montague
- Brian Dennehy as Ted Montague, Romeo's father[9]
- Christina Pickles as Caroline Montague, Romeo's mother
- Dash Mihok as Benvolio Montague, Romeo's cousin
- Jesse Bradford as Balthasar, Romeo's cousin
- Zak Orth as Gregory, Romeo's cousin
- Jamie Kennedy as Sampson, Romeo's cousin
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- The House of Capulet
- Claire Danes as Juliet Capulet
- Paul Sorvino as Fulgencio Capulet, Juliet's father
- Diane Venora as Gloria Capulet, Juliet's mother
- John Leguizamo as Tybalt, Juliet's cousin
- Vincent Laresca as Abra, Juliet's cousin
- Carlos Martín Manzo Otálora as Petruchio, Juliet's cousin
- Miriam Margolyes as Nurse, Juliet's nanny
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- Others
- Harold Perrineau as Mercutio, Romeo's best friend
- Pete Postlethwaite as Father Laurence, the priest who marries Romeo and Juliet
- Paul Rudd as Dave Paris, the governor's son and Juliet's fiancé
- Vondie Curtis-Hall as Captain Prince, the chief of police
- M. Emmet Walsh as Apothecary
- Quindon Tarver as Choir Boy, the singer at Romeo and Juliet's wedding
- Edwina Moore as the Anchorwoman, who assumes the role of the Chorus
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Natalie Portman had been cast as Juliet but, during rehearsals, it was thought that she looked too young for the part, and the footage looked as though DiCaprio was "molesting" her.[10] Luhrmann stated that Portman was too young at the time, and made DiCaprio look older than intended. He was 21 at the time of filming and Portman was only 14.[11][12]
After Sarah Michelle Gellar turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts, DiCaprio proclaimed that Danes should be cast, as he felt she was genuine in her line delivery and did not try to impress him by acting flirtatious.[13]
Christian Bale read for the role of Mercutio, but the production crew decided to go with an African-American actor for the role instead.[14]
