The eccentric musician who fascinated Katharine Hepburn: “He’s this strange artistic creature”
Sometimes, it is easy to forget that Hollywood actors are real people who have the same interests and fascinations as ‘regular’ people. We see these actors as stars who are given special treatment when they leave the house, are often showered in praise, and have enough money to live lives of pure luxury. But, when it boils down to it, no amount of Oscars on an actor’s mantlepiece can stop them from listening to the same music as us or developing a love for cheap fast food.
Katharine Hepburn has always felt like the kind of star who was untouchable. Not only did she hold the record for winning the most acting Academy Awards and was an undeniably incredible performer, but she was also unafraid of being outspoken. She was known for bouts of rudeness and hostility, as demonstrated by her working relationship with Jane Fonda, with the latter actor claiming that Hepburn didn’t like her and was full of jealousy. The classic actor reportedly said rather brutally, “Jane Fonda has no soul”.
Thus, with the countless stories floating around about Hepburn’s impatience and snobbery, paired with her status as one of Old Hollywood’s most iconic stars, it is hard to imagine her indulging in simple, normal things, like nipping to the shop or listening to pop music. Yet, Hepburn certainly wasn’t as far removed from the average person as we might think. Not only did she swoon over John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever like half of the population seemingly did in 1977, but she also developed a strange fascination with a certain controversial pop star.
It seems as though Hepburn, a complex and arguably misunderstood figure herself, was attracted to the kinds of people who were viewed in a similar way. In the biography Kate Remembered, Scott Berg reveals information about the actor that might leave some surprised, such as the fact that she used to hang out with Michael Jackson, finding him an interesting “creature.”
The pop star, often declared ‘The King of Pop’, was a child singer-turned-international sensation. Jackson was subjected to the limelight from a very young age, and as a result, he wasn’t the most well-adjusted individual. Known for songs like ‘Thriller’, ‘Beat It’, and ‘Billie Jean’, as well as his signature dance moves, namely the Moonwalk, Jackson dominated the world with his presence.
While he was loved by many and seen as some messiah figure who people genuinely treated like a deity, not everyone was so keen. Who can forget when Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker hijacked the stage during Jackson’s Brit Award performance and flashed his bare bottom as a response to Jackson’s God-like persona? Not only did the way Jackson present himself to the public unsettle a lot of people, but the child sexual assault allegations he amassed certainly added to his controversial legacy.
Hepburn was fascinated by Jackson, and the actor revealed, “He’s this strange artistic creature, living in a bubble, barely touched by anything in the outside world.” Certainly, this bubble-like behaviour divided the general public, but it seems as though Hepburn was caught under Jackson’s spell, even giving him acting advice after he visited the set of On Golden Pond.
