“I was playing a famous mother after just becoming a mother myself”
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGE BY ICON FILM DISTRIBUTION
Two households, both alike in star power and musicality, clash in a new movie musical starring Rebel Wilson. The actor will play Lady Capulet in Juliet & Romeo, the first of trilogy based on the real-life story that inspired Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers.
The film will reach UK cinemas on 11 June. It is inspired by the real-life feud between the Montecchi and Capuleti families in 1301, which may have served as key source material for Shakespeare when he wrote his tragedy. But as Juliet and Romeo fall in love, the iconic duo and their families will have a sing and a dance about it, as this film is an original musical.
Rebel, who had her breakthrough performance in the iconic acapella film Pitch Perfect, will take on Lady Capulet. The character is a new type of role for the actor, as she has previously found a home in comedic performances, while the Capulet matriarch tends to be more serious. “It was a really interesting and creative opportunity to play Lady Capulet in this film,” said the actor. “I was playing a famous mother after just becoming a mother myself. But overall I was attracted to this project because of the excellent music and the chance to play against type as an actress.”
Timothy Scott Bogart, the writer-director, said Rebel’s version of Lady Capulet was “extraordinary” and her experience of motherhood elevated the performance. Rebel and her wife, Ramona Agruma, have a daughter together, who was born in 2022.
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