Rosaline offers a fresh take on the well known love story of Romeo and Juliet. Here’s how they changed (and added) some characters.
(L-R): Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline and Isabela Merced as Juliet in 20th Century Studios’ ROSALINE, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
During the press conference for Hulu’s new movie, Rosaline, the cast discusses how their characters are different from the versions in Romeo and Juliet. Some of them are completely new to the story, and others have a very different role to play in this story.
How Rosaline Changes Romeo and Juliet Characters
Rosaline is very briefly mentioned in the original story of Romeo and Juliet. Kaitlyn Dever says this helped lessen the pressure of playing the role because there really is not a lot to compare her to.
“She has a very, very, very small role in the story. And so, because of that, it was actually a really exciting prospect. You can do anything and everything you want to.” She goes on to say that her version of Rosaline allowed her to just go for it whenever she wanted to.
It is clear from watching the movie that Dever had a blast with the role, and she confirms that she had fun every single day she was on set. “I appreciate and admire her determination and her fearlessness and her drive.” She admits that she loved being outrageous and sarcastic and comedic with the whole cast.
(L-R): Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline and Minnie Driver as The Nurse in 20th Century Studios’ ROSALINE, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by Moris Puccio. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Minnie Driver is subtly hilarious as Nurse Janet. She has a small but important role, and was never in the known story of Romeo and Juliet. Driver says that she absolutely loves the character, which is why she was so excited to play her.
“I love all of the vague resentment and sadness of this lost life that you know nothing about. This film has nothing to do with Janet’s other life. But I like that you feel it there. And I love how much she loves her girl and how she wants the best for her girl. And that’s what made it funny and great.”
(L-R): Spencer Stevenson as Paris, Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline, Kyle Allen as Romeo, and Henry Hunter Hall as Mercutio in 20th Century Studios’ ROSALINE, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by Moris Puccio. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Actor Kyle Allen says that “Romeo would fall in love with a stick if you’d let him. He’s completely obsessed with the concept and the idea of love. And other than that, that’s pretty much the entirety of his personality. He doesn’t have much else going on.” He is certainly a lot different from the Leonardo DiCaprio version we saw in 1996.
Paris is a Count in the Romeo and Juliet, so he is not completely new to the story. Spencer Stevenson, who plays him on screen, describes him as “bougie.” He goes on to explain that he is “a completely different version of Paris that anybody’s ever seen. And representation matters, so I’m happy for the world to see it and for people to feel seen because our stories matter too.”
(L-R): Christopher McDonald as Lord Capulet, Isabela Merced as Juliet, Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline, and Mercedes Colon as Lady Capulet in 20th Century Studios’ ROSALINE, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The lovely and talented Isabela Merced plays Juliet in Rosaline, who of course was part of the original story. But much like Romeo, she is a different version than we are used to. Merced admits that she was very surprised when she got the role because she never really saw herself as a Juliet type.
“I’m used to playing characters that are very headstrong, independent, and not Juliet.” She adds, “Juliet is a strong woman, but she’s also very sensitive and emotional and sympathetic and empathetic. I think Rosaline and Juliet do a great job of representing both sides of what feminism and what womanhood really is. You can be strong and you can be sentimental and sensitive, and still be an independent woman. I think it’s nice to see the two extremes of rebellion and then sweetness and kind of a naïveté.”
Dario, played by Sean Teale, is totally new to the Romeo and Juliet story. Dario is drawn to Rosaline, even though she is doing everything in her power to win Romeo back. When asked why he feels this way about her, Teale throws in a compliment to his co-star, “She’s incredibly charming — Kaitlyn and Rosaline.” He continues on to say “There’s so much to her, you would not want to do anything other than find out more.”
He says that what drew him to the role of Dario is that he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him, and that is not true of himself. “I’m scared about everyone’s opinion. But Dario manages to be a lot more progressive than a man would be in that time. He’s a little more progressive than one thinks. And so of course he’s completely drawn to this brilliant, funny, charismatic-driven, diligent, independent woman at a time where that was not as easy to be or do.”
Meet the new characters, and see a different side of others, when Rosaline streams exclusively on Hulu on October 14th.
NEXT: Rosaline Movie Review: A Fresh Take on a Classic Story
20th Century Studios’ ROSALINE, exclusively on Hulu. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
About Rosaline
Rosaline is a fresh and comedic twist on Shakespeare’s classic love story “Romeo & Juliet,” told from the perspective of Juliet’s cousin Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever), who also happens to be Romeo’s recent love interest. Heartbroken when Romeo (Kyle Allen) meets Juliet (Isabela Merced) and begins to pursue her, Rosaline schemes to foil the famous romance and win back her guy.
Rosaline is streaming exclusively on Hulu starting October 14th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.