Before 1968, cinematic adaptations of William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy frequently cast older, established actors to play the star-crossed lovers. Zeffirelli broke tradition by casting actual teenagers: 17-year-old Leonard Whiting as Romeo and 15-year-old Olivia Hussey as Juliet. This decision brought an authentic, palpable vulnerability to the screen that resonated deeply with the counterculture youth movement of the late 1960s.