Romeo and Juliet (2013)

When the star-crossed lovers of two enemy families meet, forbidden love ensues.

Director:

 Carlo Carlei

Writers:

 Julian Fellowes (screenplay), William Shakespeare(play)

Stars:

 Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth, Damian Lewis

Ed Westwick plays Tybalt in Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes's upcoming Romeo and Juliet, which holds fast to the time period and romanticism of the Shakespeare classic. We caught up with the actor to talk about tackling The Bard's beloved play and the film's wise-beyond-her-years Juliet, Hailee Steinfeld. Westwick also reflected on why he left NYC in his rearview after Gossip Girl came to a close and how he's working to transcend Chuck Bass in the next chapter of his career. Romeo and Juliet hits theaters on Oct. 11. Popsugar: Tybalt has always seemed to me to be maybe the most interesting character in Romeo and Juliet. What attracted you to this specific role? Ed Westwick: Well, first of all, we share something there, because I agree. I was always intrigued with the character ever since I was young, and when I heard the project was coming around, I thought,

This story first appeared in the Oct. 11 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.  When Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes phonedNadja Swarovski, executive board member of the jewelry brand founded by her great-great-grandfather, to discuss his adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, she happily took the call. "He is a longtime family friend," explains Swarovski. "He said: 'Darling, we're looking for investors! This is my new script!' I thought, 'What a fantastic first step for us into filmmaking.' " The $3.5 billion global brand, headed by the bijou heiress, launched its film production arm, Swarovski Entertainment,

Playing Romeo and Juliet has its challenges, as Douglas Booth and Hailee Steinfeld now know. We sat down with the costars recently to talk about the period piece's constricting costumes and why the centuries-old love story is still as appealing today as ever. They also recalled their very first meeting, which happened to be at a ball, just like Romeo and Juliet's fateful introduction. This big-screen version of Romeo & Juliet, penned by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, hits theaters on Oct. 11.