Sarah Michelle Gellar was offered Juliet

Sarah Michelle Gellar was considered for the part of Juliet but she turned down the role due to her commitments to ‘All My Children’. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Aaliyah, Kate Winslet and Christina Ricci were also considered, but it was Natalie Portman who came the closest to getting the part over Claire Danes.

Luhrmann ultimately decided to give the part to Danes as Portman’s small stature made DiCaprio look much older in comparison.