Sickness, Storms, And A Kidnapping All Hit The Romeo + Juliet Set

A hurricane actually struck the set of “Romeo + Juliet,” destroying much of the production and taking the crew by surprise. In this unfortunate event, Luhrmann saw an opportunity to get wide shots of the storm’s destruction. “For a budget like [Romeo + Juliet], you can’t achieve that short of massive CGI,” the director explained in Baz Luhrmann: Interviews.

The destructive storm was far from the most eventful thing to happen on set. Nearly everyone on set fell violently ill at one point or another. Luhrmann himself contracted a fever of over 110 degrees that caused production to shut down for a full week. But the illness was still only the tip of the iceberg.

According to Luhrmann, one member of the crew presented an unexpected production cost. “The hair and makeup person, Aldo Signoretti, who worked with Fellini, was kidnapped,” the director revealed. The crew paid three hundred US dollars for his safe return, which Luhrmann “thought rather a bargain.” His return was more or less in one piece but, as if the artist had not been through enough, the kidnappers “threw Aldo out of the car and broke his leg.”