Why Marilyn Monroe Turned Down ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

There’s hardly any casting extra iconic than Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. A lot so, that she stays an American icon and continues to be extensively celebrated in popular culture. The story behind Hepburn’s casting, nevertheless, is among the many best what-ifs in Hollywood, as there was one other contender with simply as a lot star energy within the run to play Holly Golightly: the epitome of mid-century Hollywood attract herself, Marilyn Monroe. This unfulfilled casting selection stays a charming piece of cinematic historical past, as there are numerous parallels between Monroe and Golightly, however, on the similar time, it is simply unattainable to conceive of anybody apart from Hepburn having breakfast at Tiffany’s at 5 am.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

A younger New York socialite turns into concerned about a younger man who has moved into her condo constructing, however her previous threatens to get in the best way.

Launch Date

October 6, 1961

Director

Blake Edwards

Forged

Audrey Hepburn , George Peppard , Patricia Neal , Buddy Ebsen , Martin Balsam , José Luis de Villalonga

Runtime

115

Truman Capote Wrote ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ With Marilyn Monroe in Thoughts as Holly Golightly

The 1961 film adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s is without doubt one of the greatest motion pictures of the twentieth century, little doubt, but it surely may’ve been very totally different if Truman Capote had his approach. He wrote the unique 1958 novella of the identical title upon which the film by Blake Edwards is predicated and was very protecting of his work. Capote has at all times been recognized for his capacity to create vivid and multidimensional characters, and Holly Golightly is certainly one of his greatest ones on this sense, completely capturing the contradictions of residing a slightly decadent model of the American Dream. Whereas the function of Holly in the end went to Hepburn, it is recognized that, per The Guardian, Capote was adamant about having Marilyn Monroe play her within the film.

By then, Monroe was already fairly well-established as the best American icon of her technology, and she or he was additionally mates with Capote. Her attract was inescapable, and her mixture of sensuality, vulnerability, and charisma completely aligned with the complexities of Holly. Monroe’s real-life struggles, her public persona, and the dichotomy between her glamorous picture and private challenges certainly appeared to have resonated with Capote’s conception of Holly — a personality navigating the glamorous but decadent world of New York’s excessive society.

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Within the unique novella, Holly Golightly is slightly totally different from the film, and we get extra perception into her character and aspirations. Capote describes her as a younger lady with hanging options and a charming presence. She is depicted as trendy, with a eager sense of fashion that aligns with the glamour of New York Metropolis’s excessive society of that point. The novella emphasizes Holly’s capacity to make a long-lasting impression on the individuals she encounters, creating an air of secrecy and fascination round her. Her bodily traits are solely minimally described, however what we’re given is paying homage to Monroe. Holly is described as having “strands of albino-blonde and yellow hair” and “massive eyes, slightly blue, slightly inexperienced.” It is definitely simple for us to check Capote’s Holly in Monroe’s pores and skin.

Why Marilyn Monroe Turned Down the Position of Holly Golightly

There are castings which might be certainly excellent mixtures of actor and function, and Truman Capote had it clear in his thoughts that Marilyn Monroe was the proper selection for Holly Golightly when Breakfast at Tiffany’s started manufacturing. Nonetheless, getting the actor you wish to play a selected half in any manufacturing is a problem, and it is determined by many alternative components aligning — schedule, contract, chemistry, and so on. So, even when Capote needed Monroe for the function, it wasn’t actually as much as him, sadly.

Though Capote thought she was excellent for the half, there was a point of insecurity on Monroe’s facet about taking up that function. She and Capote had a very good relationship, so one may suppose that it will be a simple selection and a fantastic function for her to show dramatic expertise that she could not in different productions. In response to Far Out Journal, Capote had even gotten screenwriter George Axelrod to regulate the script and have it tailored for Monroe. Sadly, although, the star’s performing coach, Paula Strasberg, suggested her towards accepting the function, saying she should not be taking part in a “girl of the night.” Capote himself by no means described Holly as such, referring to the character extra as an “American geisha,” and even when the viewer understands how she makes her residing, her angle and lighthearted lifestyle makes it actually troublesome to label her that.

Capote was livid that he did not get Monroe for the function, and even blamed the executives, saying “Paramount double-crossed me in each approach and forged Audrey.” His frustration and disappointment with the casting selection grew to become obvious, and he publicly expressed his dissatisfaction many instances. For instance, he reportedly remarked that Hepburn was a positive actress however that the half was “not an Audrey Hepburn sort in any respect,” and that it “made me wish to throw up.” Nonetheless, regardless of Capote’s preliminary objections, Audrey Hepburn’s portrayal of Holly Golightly in the end grew to become certainly one of her most iconic and celebrated performances, solidifying her standing as a Hollywood legend.

What Would Marilyn Monroe’s Model of Holly Golightly Have Seemed Like?

As subtle as she comes throughout, Holly Golightly comes from a really totally different world than the one she aspires to belong to. In each Capote’s novella and the 1961 film, we be taught that she truly comes from rural Texas and is basically referred to as Lulamae Barnes — which, with all due respect, is a reputation that seems like the other to the one she crafted for herself when it comes to class and class. Her Holly Golightly persona may be very a lot a product of a lifestyle that was offered to Lulamae. By itself, this story resembles a variety of what occurred to Marilyn Monroe.

Her private struggles and the complexities of her life meant that Monroe may’ve added layers of authenticity to Holly’s character. Whereas it is not recognized what Monroe herself considered the character, her experiences with fame, relationships, and societal expectations may have offered her with a deeper understanding of Holly’s challenges and aspirations. This juxtaposition of Monroe’s personal life with the character might need created a extra emotionally charged and resonant portrayal — viewers response is at all times totally different when it is recognized that an actor’s function is expounded to their actuality off-screen — and its cultural impression of this casting would have prolonged past the display. Monroe’s standing as a intercourse image and her capacity to captivate audiences may have redefined the general public’s notion of the character, doubtlessly altering the narrative surrounding Holly’s pursuit of affection and happiness. The movie’s exploration of American decadence and societal expectations might need taken on a extra specific and provocative tone underneath Monroe’s interpretation — as an artist, she at all times excelled in comedic roles that might have imprinted on Holly her typical lightheartedness, however Monroe additionally had a aptitude for the dramatic that would’ve added new depths to the character.

In the meantime, Audrey Hepburn was at all times the other. If we did not have the materialization of herself portraying Holly Golightly in addition to she does, it will’ve been unattainable to think about her taking part in the function of a younger woman from rural Texas who bought married at 14. Hepburn had already gained her Oscar for Roman Vacation, by which she performs a princess who makes an attempt to cross as a peasant and has a variety of enjoyable within the course of. That is a job that embodies Hepburn’s persona, being herself born into the Aristocracy and skilled as an artist from early on. We will consider Hepburn, effortlessly fashionable and swish, precisely as somebody who Holly would aspire to be, however did not have the pure instruments to, regardless of her fabricated sense of fashion. So it truly is proof of Hepburn’s personal expertise and attract that her Holly Golightly grew to become an American icon, when Monroe may definitely have had a unique impression.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is streaming on Paramount+ within the U.S.

Watch on Paramount+