Lily Collins will step into the shoes of legendary actress and icon Audrey Hepburn.
Collins is set to play the role of Hepburn in the film based on Sam Wasson’s book “Fifth Avenue, 5 AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman.”
The film focuses on a specific period in Hepburn’s career when she filmed the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Despite her resemblance to the star, fans seem to be divided on her casting, with some calling it a “daring choice”.
However, her son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, was vocal about the casting.
Ferrer, author of the biography “Intimate Audrey,” told Fox News Digital: “I love Lily Collins. Sam Wasson, the author of the book, is a good friend of mine and I’m very happy for him. The movie hasn’t been made yet, so I don’t have any big feelings.”
“I think my mom might balk at seeing ‘The Rise of the Modern Woman,’ but she balked at all the compliments. And now I’m preparing two movies for her, this one and ‘Dinner with Audrey,'” Ferrer said.
Furthermore, “I don’t know how to adapt a ‘historical snapshot’ like this.”
Fans debated the casting news on social media.
Some called her casting a “perfect choice,” saying Collins was “the most perfect person to play Audrey Hepburn,” while another said, “Don’t worry about not looking like Audrey, she’s unique and can’t be replaced by you or anyone,” while another said, “Are you kidding me? You look nothing like her.”
Experts said that while it was a “tall order”, the key to Collins winning the role would be her performance and whether she could embody the essence of the Oscar winner.
Charlie Keel, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Film Institute, says taking on such a role “can be a field full of mines.”
“When a modern-day star takes on the role of an iconic figure from the past, that person can be judged by different criteria. When that person is someone like Audrey Hepburn, who has immortalized herself on screen in so many famous roles, it’s a much bigger challenge,” Keel said.
Keel said that Hepburn “set the standard of 1950s elegance” and that “she was a pioneer in fashion trends, had a perfect diction, and was European-born”, adding that her “distinctive, lightly accented She was fondly remembered by many fans as supple and almost aristocratic, but also a little lofty and, at times, seductively erratic.”She added, “This is a tall order to fulfill.”
Keel said fans “don’t necessarily want a carbon copy” of Hepburn, but rather “they want a new way of thinking about a familiar star, and the performance should give them that.”
Citing Jackie Kennedy, played by Natalie Portman in the movie Jackie, as an example, Kiel said she is “not specifically interested in the former first lady and does not comprehensively imitate every known aspect of the celebrity persona.”
“Let’s differentiate, not imitate. Show that, as actresses, we exercise some control over how we envision the re-imagining of legends. And of course, we hope that the material we’re starring in is worth the risk,” added Kiel.
Paul Schnee, who appeared with business partner Kelly Burden in such films as The Help, Winter’s Bone, Dallas Buyers Club, and Spotlight, called Collins a “great actor” and noted that his “vague resemblance to Audrey may help, but the talent goes beyond that.”
“A vague resemblance is enough, but it’s not always the case,” said Schnee, noting that what is most effective for viewers is “something that embodies the essence of the person.”
He and Burden cast her as Snow White in the movie Mirror Mirror, noting that she was the daughter of musician Phil Collins and pointing out that her “talent went beyond genetics.”
At the end of the day, it’s a matter of acting. “The better the actor, the less attention is paid to appearance,” said Schnee, who cast Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone.”
In an Instagram post he shared after the casting news was announced in late February, Collins revealed that the project has been in the works for nearly 10 years and said he felt “honored and ecstatic.”
“After nearly a decade of growth and a lifetime of admiration and adoration for Audrey, I am finally able to share this. Honored and ecstatic cannot begin to describe how I feel…” she wrote on her Instagram page.
Collins has been open about her love for the icon, frequently sharing images on Instagram.
“The challenge when playing an iconic figure is not to imitate them,” said Howard Fine of Howard Fine Act Studios, who co-starred with Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in “Elvis,” Jalen Best as Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali in “The Greatest,” and Carla Gugino as Vivien Leigh in “Vivien and the Flower Shop.”
“If Austin had imitated Elvis, it would have ended his career instead of winning him an award. An actor has to find where that character lives within him,” Fine said.
Hepburn is known for her unique voice and rhythm, which Collins will need to focus on mastering.
“I’m a big believer in voice and dialect work, mastering Audrey Hepburn’s accent and unique vocal patterns. But actors have to find the personality behind the patterns to escape empty imitation,” Fine added.
Fine said actors must “avoid imitation” of actors and instead focus on “inhabiting the soul that motivated this action.”
Mr. Fine said that actors must ask themselves, “Who am I as a character and how can I find that character within myself? The character’s voice and physical expression must become natural. Actors must practice until everything is comfortable, until they can no longer see the performance.”
