Audrey Hepburn's Iconic Breakfast At Tiffany's Role Almost Went To Another Huge Movie Star - The List (2024)

Audrey Hepburn's Iconic Breakfast At Tiffany's Role Almost Went To Another Huge Movie Star - The List (2)

Audrey Hepburn's Iconic Breakfast At Tiffany's Role Almost Went To Another Huge Movie Star - The List (3)

Audrey Hepburn's Iconic Breakfast At Tiffany's Role Almost Went To Another Huge Movie Star

Audrey Hepburn's Iconic Breakfast At Tiffany's Role Almost Went To Another Huge Movie Star - The List (4)

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ByHope Campbell/June 24, 2021 4:33 pm EST

When you think of the classic 1961 film, "Breakfast at Tiffany's," you see the svelte and petiteAudrey Hepburn with her slight British accent smoking a long, thin cigarette, sitting by a window and singing "Moon River" to her cat. Can you imagine the same scene with anyone else portraying Holly Golightly? As it turns out, another iconic actress was actually first tapped for the role.

When Hepburn was cast, she had already made a name for herself in such films as "Sabrina" and "Funny Face" (via IMDb). And the legendary role of Holly Golightly —a not-very-wealthy New York socialite who loved to frequent the famed jewelry store Tiffany's in the morning — was excellent for Hepburn's career, as starring in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" earned her a 1962 Academy Award nomination for Best Lead Actress.

But Truman Capote, who wrote the novel on which the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was based, was the one who originally wanted another movie star to play the part, per The Guardian. And the actress in question was a sexy blonde bombshell with pouty lips and a whispery voice...

Why was Marilyn Monroe was advised not to play Holly Golightly?

Audrey Hepburn's Iconic Breakfast At Tiffany's Role Almost Went To Another Huge Movie Star - The List (5)

L. J. Willinger/Getty Images

Marilyn Monroeas Holly Golightly could have made it onto movie screens, according to a 2016 documentary called "Crazy About Tiffany's" (via Harper's Bazaar) — particularly because Truman Capote saw her in the role that Audrey Hepburneventually made famous.In fact, the "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" starwas even living in New York when "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was filmed, according to Biography.

However, there was some ambiguity about what Holly actually did to earn her keep, according to The Vintage News. While screenwriter George Axelrod adapted the role for Monroe in his script, the talk that the lead character was actually a "call girl" is reportedly what kept the actress from taking the role.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Monroe had become close with famed acting teacher Lee Strasberg. Monroe had been trying to change her acting image, and Strasberg didn't think it would be good for her career to play a sex worker, per Vintage News.

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Audrey Hepburn's Iconic Breakfast At Tiffany's Role Almost Went To Another Huge Movie Star - The List (2024)

FAQs

Audrey Hepburn's Iconic Breakfast At Tiffany's Role Almost Went To Another Huge Movie Star - The List? ›

But apparently this almost wasn't the case. In the new documentary, Crazy About Tiffany's, it is revealed that a different Hollywood starlet was originally considered for the iconic role in Breakfast at Tiffany's. The actress being none other than the platinum-haired bombshell Marilyn Monroe.

Who was the iconic star of Breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, written by George Axelrod, adapted from Truman Capote's 1958 novella of the same name, and starring Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, a naïve, eccentric café society girl who falls in love with a struggling writer.

Who played opposite Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

Famous American motion picture actress Patricia Neal featured in Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961 as Mrs Emily Eustace “2E” Failensen opposite Audrey Hepburn's café society girl Holly Golightly.

Why did Marilyn Monroe not star in Breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

“Another thing you may not know: Marilyn didn't take the part in part because Paula Strasberg, her advisor and acting coach, said she should not be playing a lady of the evening." Capote, author of the 1958 novella, was reportedly very disappointed that the studio went with Hepburn, saying, “Paramount double-crossed me ...

What is Audrey Hepburn's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

For fans of Truman Capote's inimitable novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's, it's hard not to evoke an image of silver screen darling Audrey Hepburn when thinking of the character Holly Golightly. Hepburn did, after all, play the role of Golightly in the 1961 film rendition of the literary sensation.

Who were the co stars of Audrey Hepburn? ›

She starred opposite many famous male costars in her films, Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, names which are synonymous with cinema's most romantic leading men.

Who wore the iconic little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

Remember when actress Audrey Hepburn turned a sleek black dress into an enduring symbol of understated style? It was 1961, and Hepburn was playing the part of troubled call girl Holly Golightly in Blake Edwards' “Breakfast at Tiffany's,” based on the novella by Truman Capote.

How old was Audrey Hepburn when she was in Breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

Audrey Hepburn was thirty-one years old when playing Holly. Holly Golightly wears the same dresses all the way through the movie, simply changing the accessories to give each outfit a different look.

Why didn t Truman Capote like Audrey Hepburn? ›

The author had wanted Marilyn Monroe for the Hollywood adaptation of his 1958 novella contained in “Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories.” He complained that the elegant Hepburn was miscast as Holly, a Texas runaway who reinvents herself as a Manhattan It Girl.

What did Rex Harrison say about Audrey Hepburn? ›

He told an interviewer, "Eliza Doolittle is supposed to be ill at ease in European ballrooms. Bloody Audrey has never spent a day in her life out of European ballrooms." Nevertheless, Harrison was once later asked to identify his favorite leading lady.

Who is more iconic Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn? ›

Most iconic screen legend: Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe? Most iconic screen legend: Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe? Audrey is arguably the most defining actress of Classic Hollywood. She made her breakthrough as Princess Anne in "Roman Holiday," and won the Best Actress Oscar in 1954.

Was Audrey Hepburn miscast in breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

Audrey wasn't the first choice to play Holly for the author of Breakfast At Tiffany's. Truman Capote, who wrote the novella Breakfast At Tiffany's: A Short Novel And Three Stories, felt that Hepburn was miscast as Holly.

What is the moral of breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

The most important life lesson portrayed in “Breakfast at Tiffany's” is that you really do need a remedy for the "Mean Reds." There will be days when you will angry or afraid, and you won't be able to pin down exactly what's bothering you.

What does $50 for the powder room mean? ›

Holly is given $50 "for the powder room" by a male acquaintance, as payment for her companionship that evening. 4. She's got a great moniker. In an early version of the 1958 novella Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote, the character was named Connie Gustafson.

Who is Sally Tomato in breakfast at Tiffany? ›

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) - Alan Reed as Sally Tomato - IMDb.

Who was Audrey Hepburn's leading man? ›

Who is your favourite of Audrey Hepburn's leading men? I'm curious: Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday Humphrey Bogart in Sabrina William Holden in Sabrina Gary Cooper in Love in the Afternoon Fred Astaire...

What actress looks like Audrey Hepburn? ›

Lily Collins TOTALLY looks like Audrey Hepburn here!

What happened to Robert Wolders after Audrey Hepburn died? ›

After Hepburn's death, he dated Gigi star Leslie Caron and then had a two-decade relationship with Shirlee Fonda, the fifth wife of late actor Henry Fonda. “The odd thing is that Shirlee was a great friend of Audrey and a great friend of Merle. In the same circle.

What did Truman Capote think of breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

In an interview years later, when asked what he thought was wrong with the film version, he replied, “Oh god, just everything.” He referred to it as the “most miscast film” he'd ever seen and that it made him want to throw up, particularly the one element that just about everyone can agree did not age well about the ...

What color was Audrey Hepburn's dress in breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

Audrey Hepburn wore a "little black dress" in the 1961 romantic comedy film Breakfast at Tiffany's. The garment was designed by Hubert de Givenchy, and is worn during the opening scene of the film.

What type of dress did Audrey Hepburn wear in breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961

The actress wore a black co*cktail dress by Hubert de Givenchy - a designer she collaborated with throughout her career - and a dramatic wide-brim hat for a promotional shot for Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Did Audrey Hepburn have a biological child? ›

Hepburn had two sons; Sean, with her first husband, actor Mel Ferrer, and Luca, with second husband, Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti. Hepburn Ferrer says there was very little talk of Hollywood and showbiz at home, and that they rarely took videos or photos of one another.

Why did Audrey Hepburn change her name? ›

Her mother changed her name to Edda during the war because she felt the name Audrey, being English, could prove to be a problem with the occupiers during the war. After the war Audrey again assumed her birth name, and later she adopted the now famous stage and screen name of Audrey Hepburn for the rest of her life.

Who did Audrey Hepburn leave her money to? ›

When Hepburn passed in 1993, she left behind two sons—half-brothers. As part of the estate, they were to equally split the contents of a storage locker filled with old Hollywood memorabilia.

Did Julie Andrews like Audrey Hepburn? ›

Though both are now gone (Hepburn died of cancer in 1993, Edwards of pneumonia in 2010), Andrews vividly remembers their times together, especially Audrey. “I don't think there was a soul who didn't love her,” Andrews said. “And my husband adored her too.

What is a famous quote from Audrey Hepburn? ›

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.” “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” “Nothing is impossible; the word itself says 'I'm possible! '”

Was Audrey Hepburn humble? ›

From her childhood, to the day she passed away, Audrey Hepburn was known as a humble and selfless person. She put others before herself, she met their needs before her own. As UNICEF took care of her as a child, she took care of others, even if it was the slightest bit.

How old was Audrey Hepburn when she was in breakfast at Tiffany's? ›

Audrey Hepburn was thirty-one years old when playing Holly. Holly Golightly wears the same dresses all the way through the movie, simply changing the accessories to give each outfit a different look.

How old was Audrey Hepburn when she died? ›

One of America's most beloved actresses, Audrey Hepburn, dies on January 20, 1993, near her home in Lausanne, Switzerland. The 63-year-old Hepburn had undergone surgery for colon cancer the previous November.

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