Olivia Hussey

Olivia Hussey died a couple days ago, of cancer at the age of 73. She became a star from the Franco Zeffirelli directed 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet and no other role in her long career approached the success of that one. It's not a perfect adaptation by any means. I watched it again last night and found myself growing really impatient with Mercutio's death scene. There are many elements where I felt Zeffireli's instincts were just wrong but the casting wasn't one of them. I've seen many adaptations of Shakespeare's play, I've read the text multiple times over the years but, even now, if I close my eyes and try to picture Juliet, I see Olivia Hussey.

She looked like a John William Waterhouse painting. Juliet is 13 years old in the play and her youth is a crucial part of the story. Hussey was 16 during filming but successfully conveyed Juliet's youth and the natural impetuosity and rashness that might go along with it. A lot of actresses fail to convey these aspects of Juliet's personality. Not Hussey. You could see Juliet was a passionate and unwise girl.

After Romeo and Juliet, she was in a number of horror movies. Her delicate and beautiful features helped her seem vulnerable, a good quality in a horror movie protagonist. Her most famous horror film is probably Black Christmas. So much of this scene's tension depends on her facial expressions as she holds the phone;