And then there was Franco Zefferelli’s screen version of the Bard’s Romeo and Juliet, quite possibly the finest screen adaption of any of his plays. Of course, having teen beauty Olivia Hussey in the movie didn’t hurt the thing at all:
I remember seeing this masterpiece upon its release with the girl who, fifty-odd years later, would become the New Wife, and who remembers the occasion with the same wistful feelings as I do.
Olivia didn’t really do much, cinematically speaking, after R&J. , although she was memorably cast as Mary, mother of Jesus, in Jesus of Nazareth.
Nobody cared, because she’d been engraved on our collective consciousness as Juliet, and so she’d never have to do much else anyway.
“I regret that I didn’t stretch myself more as an actress, take on meatier roles,” she said in 2018. “But I took time off to live my life and raise three children. At the time that was more important than working on my career. Overall I’ve done a couple of roles I’m proud of and I’m very happy in my life.”
Miss Hussey just carried on, staying beautiful.
Yea, even unto old age.
Wonderful.
