It is always intriguing to me to think about how some directors or writers originally want others to play key parts in movies. I was given a link today to an article about how Truman Capote had a very different persona in mind for the part of Holly Golightly in the 1961 classic, Breakfast at Tiffanys.
In this MSNBC article, Capote has always envisioned Marilyn Monroe for the lead part: "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. The Holly of Capote’s imagination was a blonde like Monroe, who had a challenging childhood growing up as Norma Jeane Baker."
Marilyn Monroe?
I simply cannot imagine her in Audrey Hepburn's place.
I loved this movie mostly because of Hepburn. Her delicate grace empowered the screen. She was charming and elegant...cat like in her actions and demeanor. Aloof but loveable. Marilyn would have been too much for this part...too much of a stereotype.
Not to say that I don't love Marilyn Monroe too, for what she brings to the big screen. But I feel that Breakfast at Tiffany's would have been an entirely different movie had Marilyn Monroe played the primary role. And I dare say it would not have been as substantial a movie if she had.
I am enchanted by Breakfast at Tiffanys...it was created before I was born yet it is timeless. I like the theme of the little girl lost in the big city. Hepburn's delicate frame seems a perfect polar opposite for the vast expanse of New York City. I love the music and the downtown scenes of long ago. And of course I love Cat and what this anonymous pet represents...true connection.
Stop me soon or I will be singing Moon Rivvvverrrr...
It is interesting...I think Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe represent two types of female icons. And I like them both actually. I love Audrey Hepburn's understated charms and quirkiness. I like her nervous twittering about like a little sparrow. Marilyn, of course, was liquid sexuality. It just pours out of her naturally. But I also liked Marilyn behind the persona too. She had a very troubled childhood and was in and out of foster homes. Her mother was like mine. Marilyn Monroe's mother had paranoid schizophrenia. Had Marilyn wanted to die at the end? Nobody knows to this day. I think we were all touched by the vulnerable side to her which seemed overly shrouded by her appearance and fame.
I am very curious here.
If you are a woman which actress can you most relate to? Marilyn or Audrey? And if you are a man...which type of persona, Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn, do you prefer and why?
And who do you think should have been cast for the part of Holly Golightly?
28 comments:
I like them both as women are both graceful and sexy. One "woman" is not *just* graceful or *just* sexy.
Audrey did well in Breakfast in Tiffany's like Marilyn did well in "Some Like it Hot.*
I love classic movies. I always have since a young girl.
There is nothing like on a rainy day to be curled up on the couch in a blanket with a cup of tea or hot chocolate or *Wine* while watching old movies!
I could relate to Marilyn Monroe - due to having dealt with a mental illness from her mom, Marilyn's depression alone, and her sexuality - yup, Marilyn it is for me!
I like them both, but Hepburn is perfect for that role. With Monroe as the lead, it would have been just a movie on a list and not the classic it has become. I remember the song as a kid, but didn't see the movie till a few years ago when my wife 'forced' me to watch it. I can see why it is a classic.
Speaking of classics, did you know that one of the actors considered for the Bogart role in Casablanca was Ronald Reagan? Same observation as above - in his hands that movie would have been merely the answer to a trivia question.
Which type of persona? A little of both for me, leaning to the Hepburn side of the scale. It seems that my 'type' is either Irish redhead or Italian brunette, with a personality balance of confidence, insecurity and family disfunction. When you stop laughing at that, will you help me find a therapist? :)
I'm an Audrey Hepburn fan and though I think Marilyn could have done a wonderful job, it would have been a different movie. Btw the Capote book is great if you haven't read it.
In the day, I was caught up in Hepburn. I thought she was one of the most beautiful women, the kind which makes you stop walking, talking, thinking for a moment.
Marilyn, on screen, was too much, too much make up, too much glitz, but off screen, in many every day photos, I thought she was extraordinarily beautiful and was probably the first actress I felt sorry for because of the constant hounding. Later, I learned, that was part of the process in achieving fame; which drove some to hide, once there.
Hepburn for the part and for the heart.
hum, I must confess my less than stellar education in movies. I hardly ever watch them, and hardly actually pay attention when I do. I don't think I've ever seen a Marilyn Monroe movie all the way through. And I don't remember any Audry Heburn movie either. So I can't really answer your questions. But on Gilligan's Island I preferred the movie star. (When I was a teenager)
ohhhhhhhh.........we are soooo much alike! I love both Audrey and Marilyn! Love em, love em, love em!!
I relate to Marilyn in mind, but Audrey Hepburn to this day for style.
if they re make the movie, do you want to cast Mew Mew as Orangey?
I think i have a bit of each of them in me at different times in my life.
But i do love them both :)
Very interesting contrast between the two icons. And I do think they are both iconic.
Ms Hepburn seems so delicate, yet that quality disguises an innate strength of character. I think that quality, combined with her classic beauty, is what makes her performances resonate and last.
Ms Monroe seems to me the exact opposite, with her tremendous sensuality and huge presence seeming so much like strength, yet those qualities hid the delicate nature that was ultimately her downfall.
After the fact, I couldn't see Ms Monroe in the roll. Ms Hepburn made it hers, and by doing so she made the story into something that continues to captivate new audiences. Ms Monroe would have made it something different, and perhaps the film would have had the same staying power, just not the same resonance.
And from a man's perspective, I am more attracted to Ms Hepburn's classic beauty. On my list of most beautiful celebrities, she is in the top 3 if not the most beautiful.
First, I wanted to say I found your article about MRI's very informative.
If you want to read a good novel about Marilyn Monroe check out "Blonde" by Joyce Carol Oates. She makes a convincing arguement that Monroe was murdered.
In real life I would prefer to be Audrey Hepburn. She wasn't exploited the way Marilyn Monroe was.
I would like the sophistication, charm and grace of Audrey, but probably the curves, naughty bits and libido of Marilyn. But, I think Audrey was a better choice for BAT.
I once passed Audrey on the street in Waikiki and was amazed at both how tall she was and how thin she was.
When I compare all the pictures (not the films), Marilyn, Audrey, and Merelyme... I would think Merelyme may have been an intriguing casting call.
If I was to chose someone...I don't think sophisticated is for me - it seems to translate in my head as "high maintanence".
The woman that played the DA on "Close to Home" would be more my cup of tea - but she'd have enough sense to let the answering machine take my calls.
Wow - great question...
So part of me in attracted to the whole Marilyn thing just because of all the intrigue etc. but I think if I was looking for a steady relationship something with some intellectual weight and longevity it's have to be Audrey.
Holly Golgihtly - I'll pitch for some English actresses.... Elizabeth Taylor at that time might have been good, Joan Collins maybe or a bit off the wall ... Diana Doors.
Hard to imagine anyone but Hepburn in that role! I prefer her sophisticated style to that of Monroe's.
It's always interesting to read about castings that didn't happen especially in classic movies.
I think Audrey Hepburn is why I love BAT so much. I think if it was a Monroe film, it would not have fared as well. Come to think of it, I don't think I have ever seen Monroe in any film.
I liked Audrey Hepburn in 'Two For The Road' and 'Sabrina'; but I'm with Capote on this. Marilyn Monroe would have owned Breakfast at Tiffany's as she did 'Bus Stop'. She could really play a tough survivor, as in 'River of No Return' and 'The Misfits'. Monroe was just warming up when she died.
Oddly, Audrey Hepburn really was somewhat miscast. She had real trouble with the fact that Holly was a part-time hooker, even after they soft-pedaled that aspect down to a passing reference to her endless cleaning bills for soiled gloves and stained dresses.
No wonder Capote saw Marilyn in that part!
That said, I'd have to go Audrey, personally. As a little girl she was a spy for the Resistance, smuggling notes past the Nazis in her ballet shoes!
I mean, how f**king cool is that?!
saw it too long ago to recall any of it... as for choice of women: i'm more the lauren bacall, type... though audrey and marilyn were great, in their own ways
I agree with everything you said. I could not imagine Marilyn Monroe playing this part. This role was perfect for Audrey Hepburn.
Now I have to go watch this DVD - good think I own it! :)
I'm back from Jamaica - details on my blog...we got hitched!
There was just nothing about Audrey Hepburn that looked anything like a girl from the Ozarks or whereever Miss Holly G was supposed to be from. When her brother came to fetch her, I almost laughed out loud. But, before you throw your turkey at me, I totally love Miss Audrey in the role but can understand why the author preferred Marilyn!
Hey, writer girl, Happy Thanksgiving and I look forward to reading an article you may write in the future about holidays growing up in the circumstances you did. Remember, there are people growing up right now with the exact same circumstances and need your voice. I'll never forget that story you wrote back in your old blog. Never.
Much Love to you and your family!
Pat
Happy Thanksgiving, Merely Me!
Jen
happy t-day [recipe on my page ;) lol]
Hello Merelyme. I'm very much in Charles' camp on this. I rarely watch movies anymore. Have you noticed that many fiction writers craft their characters based on movie characters? I'm working hard to avoide that, but I thought your points were intriguing.
What What I would ask you is whether or not the age of the person watching this movie for the first time impacts their later judgment. At the age of 20, for example, I would have voted for Marilyn Monroe for president! By the time I turned 45, what a woman looked like was a great deal less important to me than what she was like as a person.
So, if I saw the movie with the Monroe in at the younger age, I might voted for her to get an Oscar for a brilliant performance. Now, however, I believe my vote would be different.
I prefer a more understated, but none the less, strong persona in actresses. I like Geena Davis.
But considering you wanted a choice, I say go with Audrey for the role. She was just a better over-all actress than Marilyn.
Hope you are feeling better... have a good Thanksgiving weekend.
I view each actresses differently and their beauty based on their acting.
Happy Thanksgiving. :)
I love both of them but I say they chose perfectly for the movie.
Wanted to wish you a beautiful Thanksgiving. Hope you are doing well.
I'll wiegh in with this: George Peppard was horrible, and is also horrible in The Blue Max. Better suited to work with Mr. T.
Marilyn was cooler.
As for all time powerful or stunning, Charlotte Rampling is one of the coolest; Faye Dunaway; Catherine Deneuve; Natalie Wood.
Off the bat, as it were.
Good post, good point. Capote may have thought of Marilyn after watching "How to Marry a Millionaire." Otherwise I don't see it.
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