Grace Kelly and Cary Grant: the co-stars who became friends for life
Many beautiful friendships have been formed through on-screen pairings and cinematic partnerships, whether it be the genuinely electric chemistry between Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling or Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. One of the most magical things about film is the way it can bring people together, and this absolutely extends to those behind the scenes of each production, from friendships formed between crew and cast members who otherwise would not have crossed paths.
In many ways, it can seem like a serendipitous force that allows this to happen, with the story about how Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro grew up in the same neighbourhood feeling almost impossible given the legacy that they later formed together, as if some higher power threw them together in the knowledge that they would make great films together. The same could be said of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, who only worked together on one film, yet became one of the most infamous on-screen couples from Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography.
Hitchcock has been known to cast both Kelly and Grant in many of his films, whether it be the infamous North by Northwest, Rear Window or Notorious. Together, both actors define the specific glamour and old Hollywood feeling of the director’s films, both adding something unique to his work and becoming inseparable from his legacy.
However, while they were both regulars in his story worlds, they only starred in one film together, with their experience being more impactful than those they had with any other co-stars.
To Catch A Thief, directed in 1955, follows an ex-criminal who is accused of a new series of crimes, attempting to clear his name by catching the real thief and accidentally falling in love with the woman who has accused him of stealing her family’s jewels.
With Grant playing the thief and Kelly playing his feisty and determined love interest, the film is a perfect cocktail of everything we love about Hitchcock’s work, set in the stunning location of the French Riviera with beautifully composed shots, lighting and chemistry between the central couple.
Yet even while their time on screen together was brief, the experience left a lasting impression on both actors, forming a lifelong friendship after the production. When discussing his work with Kelly, Grant said, “I recognized her even then as a brilliant actress…She made it look so easy. Some people said Grace was just being herself. Well, that’s the toughest thing to do if you’re an actor, because if you’re yourself, the audience feels as though that person is living and breathing, just being natural, not ‘acting’ – and that’s the hardest thing in the world to do.”
Kelly and Grant remained close friends after the production finished shooting, even though Kelly retired from Hollywood entirely. After joining the royal family and becoming the Princess of Monaco, Kelly invited Grant to her wedding and he also became friends with her husband, with Prince Rainier sharing fond memories of the actor visiting their home and playing with the children. Over the years, they remained fierce friends, with Kelly saying, “Everyone grows older, except Cary Grant.”
