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When it comes to creative freedom and Shakespeare, you can be somewhat limited by the fact that these stories have been around for so long and have been adapted in so many different ways. It can be hard for actors to find a unique spin to put on these classic characters unless they are making only a bare-bones adaptation of one of these stories, and even then, it can be a little tricky. However, when it came to Rosaline and the title character that Kaitlyn Denver was playing, she was in a unique spot that many people who make Shakespeare adaptations don’t get; a blank slate. Rosaline is a character that some people didn’t even know was part of Romeo and Juliet, and Denver was asked at the virtual press conference about her jumping-off points when it came to creating the character.
“Yes, well, she is mentioned in Romeo and Juliet, but she’s a very, very, very small role in the story,” Denver explained. “And so, because of that, it was actually a really exciting prospect because you can do anything and everything you want to, and the character that I created with [director] Karen [Maine] was something that we just felt like you could go for it in so many ways. And I think that on the daily, I was having so much fun with the role. I just appreciated and admired her determination, fearlessness, and drive. But I was playing up the comedy. The writing is so brilliant. It was easy to go there. But, I mean, it was so easy to have the most fun and be sort of outrageous sometimes and sarcastic and comedic with this whole cast. It was really, really fun.”
Denver elaborated on how she got the opportunity to create Rosaline from the ground up and really enjoyed how sarcastic and ahead of her time the character ended up being. The comedy aspect was also noted as the most “exciting” part of playing her.
“I mean, yeah, Rosaline, she exists in the original story, but we don’t know much about her, so I really got to create my own Rosaline,” Denver said of a question to the entire cast that asked how they put their own spin on established characters. “And I think I was just almost a heightened version of myself and sometimes a bit just outrageous and really passionate and determined. And I think playing with the comedy was the most exciting part about playing her and how sarcastic she is. And I love that she’s a person who’s really, like, ahead of her time.”
Rosaline is a fresh and comedic twist on Shakespeare’s classic love story Romeo & Juliet, told from the perspective of Juliet’s cousin Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever), who also happens to be Romeo’s recent love interest. Heartbroken when Romeo (Kyle Allen) meets Juliet (Isabela Merced) and begins to pursue her, Rosaline schemes to foil the famous romance and win back her guy. Directed by Karen Maine (Yes, God, Yes), the film also stars Sean Teale (Skins), with Minnie Driver (Speechless) and Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale). The screenplay is by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (500 Days of Summer), based on the novel When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle. The producers are Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Dan Levine, with Kaitlyn Dever, Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, and Emily Morris serving as executive producers. It will stream to Hulu on October 14th.
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