You have probably scrolled past a black-and-white photo of Audrey Hepburn on social media this week without even thinking twice. Her face is everywhere – on tote bags, dorm-room posters, coffee mugs – and yet the woman behind the little black dress and the long cigarette holder remains one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic figures. So when news breaks that someone is stepping into her shoes for a major biopic, you feel a strange mix of excitement and protectiveness. Who could possibly do her justice? According to the two people who knew her best, we may already have our answer.
The weight of playing an icon
Portraying Audrey Hepburn on screen is no small ask. The biopic will focus on the behind-the-scenes story of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1962), arguably the role that cemented the actress as a cultural force. Lily Collins, best known for starring in Emily in Paris, has officially signed on for the part – and she has spent close to 10 years developing the project. In an Instagram post, Collins shared that after a lifetime of admiration and adoration for Audrey, she was finally able to announce the film, adding that calling herself honored and thrilled would not begin to capture how she felt.
But here is the question that immediately comes to mind: can the same actress who charmed us in a lighthearted Netflix series truly embody one of the greatest screen presences of the twentieth century? The answer, at least from the Hepburn family, is a resounding yes.
A family seal of approval
Sean Hepburn Ferrer, Audrey’s eldest son from her first marriage to Mel Ferrer, told People this week that he had spoken with Collins at length. He encouraged her to seize what he described as an exceptional opportunity, telling her he believed she should take the role. When asked about other actresses whose names had circulated since the biopic was first announced, he acknowledged his long relationships with both Natalie Portman, whom he has known since she was 14, and Rooney Mara, whom he called a lovely person. Still, he made clear that Collins stands apart from the rest.
His half-brother Luca Dotti, Audrey’s younger son from her marriage to Andrea Dotti, echoed that confidence. Speaking to People, Dotti explained that Collins has long been seen as a possible successor to his mother, thanks to her beauty, her talent, her role in Emily in Paris, and her fashion sensibility. Collins also appeared in Mirror Mirror (a Snow White adaptation) and Love, Rosie earlier in her career, roles that first put her on Hollywood’s radar as someone with classic elegance.
Dotti described himself as curious and enthusiastic about the prospect of seeing the finished film. The family’s endorsement carries enormous weight for a project like this – and it signals that Collins is not simply a studio pick but someone the Hepburn sons personally trust with their mother’s legacy.
What the film will actually tell – and the friendly doubts that linger
The feature will be adapted from Sam Wasson’s 2011 book Fifth Avenue, 5 AM: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Dawn of the Modern Woman, which offers a detailed account of how Blake Edwards’ iconic film came together. Screenwriter Alena Smith is handling the adaptation.
Sean Hepburn Ferrer, however, has expressed some playful skepticism about the creative direction. He joked that he had suggested several ideas to Collins that made her burst out laughing, though he declined to elaborate. Back in March, he had been even more candid, questioning how anyone could adapt something that had such a massive cultural impact. He added that his mother would likely have been embarrassed by the book’s subtitle reference to the dawn of the modern woman – but then again, she was embarrassed by every compliment she ever received.
That observation lines up perfectly with what Luca Dotti shared in the August issue of Vanity Fair, dedicated to Audrey Hepburn. According to Dotti, the idea of ever receiving a trophy felt impossibly distant to his mother. Throughout her entire career, she resisted the labels of star and icon that the world tried to attach to her. The Oscar-winning actress – honored in 1954 for Roman Holiday – always attributed her extraordinary career to pure luck. She used to say she had been fortunate, but that people would eventually figure it out, and there probably would not be a next film.
Thirty-three years later, Hollywood says otherwise
Audrey Hepburn passed away in 1993, and more than three decades later the industry is preparing a tribute film in her honor. What makes this project feel different from the usual biopic churn is the family’s genuine involvement and emotional investment. We are not watching a studio cash in on nostalgia; we are watching two sons entrust a performer they believe in with the most personal story imaginable.
For Collins, the stakes could not be higher – but the runway could not be clearer either. Nearly a decade of development, a lifetime of devotion to her subject, and the blessing of the people who called Audrey Hepburn mom. If that is not enough to quiet the skeptics, the finished film will have to do the rest.
