The iconic horror movie Audrey Hepburn almost starred in: “I thought it was a request, not a condition”
Every actor should play against type and take the most unexpected swing at least once in their career, and Audrey Hepburn almost did precisely that when she seriously considered taking a leading role in what became one of the most iconic and influential horror movies ever made.
The ‘Golden Age’ icon never went near the genre at any point, but she did come pretty close once. The nearest Hepburn got to out-and-out horror was 1967’s psychological thriller, Wait Until Dark, and befitting her reputation, she absolutely knocked it out of the park.
The nail-biting home invasion story earned her an Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Actress’ and stood tall as a searing, nerve-shredding, and immaculately paced tale of one woman’s night from hell, but the downside was that it was also the picture that convinced her to leave Hollywood behind.
From that point on, Hepburn was a part-time actor, if you could even call her that. She only made four more features between 1976 and 1989 before retiring from the screen, which created one of horror’s most fascinating what-ifs, after she made herself amenable to the prospect of starring in The Exorcist.
William Friedkin’s masterpiece took over the zeitgeist, became the highest-grossing R-rated release of all time, and the first horror flick to earn a ‘Best Picture’ nomination at the Oscars, all while creating a maelstrom of publicity and controversy that saw it banned in various markets and leave audiences fainting and/or throwing up, depending on where and when it was screened.
Linda Blair’s Regan MacNeil might be the main character, since she’s the one in need of the exorcism, but Ellen Burstyn was billed first in the credits. She wasn’t even close to being the first choice for the part, though, with Friedkin revealing in his memoir that Chris MacNeil was Hepburn’s if she wanted it.
“Head of casting for Warner Bros, Ted Ashley, told me he wanted Audrey Hepburn, Anne Bancroft, or Jane Fonda to play Chris MacNeil. Excellent choices,” he recalled. “And, with [William] Blatty’s and my blessing, the studio offered the role first to Audrey Hepburn, who responded favourably.”
However, she had one condition: The Exorcist needed to be filmed on location in Rome, where she lived with her husband, away from the glare of the Hollywood spotlight. “I thought it was a request on her part, not a condition,” Friedkin admitted. “No way did I want to film in Rome; it was impractical from every standpoint.”
It would have been a logistical nightmare to transplant the entire production, cast, and crew to the Italian capital for the sole purpose of having her on board, and while he noted that “we asked Ms Hepburn to reconsider,” her mind was made up: “She declined.”
