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A Farewell to the Eternal Juliet
The star who marked generations leaves us with questions about fame, love, and mortality
In my teens, I devoured classic movies until I fell asleep. Olivia Hussey’s luminous face in “Romeo and Juliet” mesmerized me.
Now, at 73, she’s gone. But she left us so much.
At fifteen, she brought Juliet to life with an intensity that Shakespeare would have applauded standing. No artifice, no forced theatrics. That overwhelming passion overflowed from her eyes as if the great playwright’s words had been written just for her.
But anyone who thinks Olivia was content with the romantic heroine label is dead wrong. She dove headfirst into the horror “Black Christmas,” revolutionizing the genre. An actress who moved between Shakespeare and slasher films? Only someone with monumental courage.
Hollywood tried to push her into the romantic ingénue box. She answered with complex, challenging characters. From the Virgin Mary in “Jesus of Nazareth” to Mother Teresa — each performance carried overwhelming depth.
Her battle against Paramount decades after filming “Romeo and Juliet” showed what she was made of. She faced a Hollywood giant not for money, but for principles. For all the young actresses who would come after her.
