Why Emma Thompson has never liked Audrey Hepburn: “I don’t and I didn’t”
In the older days of Hollywood, the industry loved to push certain archetypes onto actors, like the femme fatale or the ingénue.
What were meant to be stock characters within cinema often translated to an actor’s real-life persona. Look at women like Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield, who were practically defined by their sex symbol status and blonde hair, despite being so much more than their fucking appearances.
On the flipside, actors like Audrey Hepburn represented a much more innocent archetype; she was defined by her gamine appearance, which left her dubbed a classy ‘girl next door’ rather than a buxom bombshell-type. Her goddamn elegance was often highlighted, and this inevitably reflected the kinds of parts she took on. In fact, her leading role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s was actually a really bold choice for the star, who once claimed, “Holly is so contrary to me. She frightens me. This part called for an extroverted character. I am an introvert.”
It’s crazy how so many female actors were defined by their physical appearances instead of being considered versatile stars, and while this still happens today to a certain extent – some people are just inherently better suited for some roles more than others – there is much more room for versatility these days.
Hepburn certainly fell into a certain stereotype, and while it worked in her favour as she graced movies like Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and Charade, not everyone was a superfan. In fact, British actor Emma Thompson once revealed her extreme dislike for Hepburn as an actor, calling her “fantastically twee.” Ouch.
Hepburn wasn’t one for particularly gritty roles – you can’t imagine her feeling very at home in a New Hollywood era movie or even a shiny blockbuster – and Thompson finds this unimpressive. Did Hepburn actually have that much range? Thompson certainly doesn’t think so. “Twee is whimsy without wit, it’s mimsy-mumsy sweetness without any kind of bite, and that’s not for me,” she added.
Continuing her verbal attack on the classic actor, Thompson told The Hollywood Reporter, “She can’t sing and she can’t really act. I’m sure she was a delightful woman – and perhaps if I had known her, I would have enjoyed her acting more, but I don’t, and I didn’t. I don’t do Audrey Hepburn – I think that she’s a guy thing.”
Thompson’s opinion on Hepburn is certainly rather harsh, although her point that Hepburn possessed a certain sense of twee can hardly be disputed. The actor never strayed into villainous or truly challenging roles, often opting for the heroic type or those that you just can’t help but root for. Yet, isn’t that OK? Hepburn never tried to be anything else, and her performances were undeniably great.
Can you imagine anyone else playing Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s? How about the delightful Princess Anne in Roman Holiday? Hepburn might not have possessed the most impressive versatility in Hollywood, but she was an icon, plain and simple, who mastered the roles she did take on, even winning an Academy Award for ‘Best Actress’.
