Twenty-five years ago, Baz Luhrmann laid his scene in fair Verona – and it was like nothing we’d ever seen before.
In the years since, Barrett has gone on to become one of Hollywood’s most eminent costume designers, working onFrom Hell, The Amazing Spider-Man,as one of her fondest filmmaking memories. “It was definitely the job you want to have been your first job,” says Barrett. “It was unforgettable.”
Here, Barrett shares the story behind the costumes, from her eclectic range of references, to collaborating with Miuccia Prada on DiCaprio’s tailoring, to how she used clothes to bring Shakespeare’s romantic tale back to vivid, unforgettable life.How did the project come your way, and what was your process in the early stages of conceiving the costumes?
Catherine and Baz and I all went to NIDA [the National Institute of Dramatic Art] in Sydney, so we already had that common ground. First, we made a short film with actors from Sydney in an abandoned lot – we dressed up our friends and shot the Mercutio death scene. And then Baz sent it to Leonardo and to Fox, and they decided to give us small amounts of money to start building up to the project that we wanted to do. We were kind of left on our own, and it just grew from there.
It’s very impressive that it was your first job as a head costume designer. Did you ever feel nervous about embarking on such a bold and radical take on a story that’s so beloved? We all came out of the theatre, and the job delineations aren’t as rigid as they are in films. You tend to do a bit of everything. We would get there in the morning and steam the curtains, or I’d stay late with Catherine and we’d paint the floor. Everyone is kind of an equal collaborator, and we all brought that same methodology to the way we made that film. I think you can see that, because it’s very cohesive and everything is integrated.
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