Audrey Hepburn 'couldn't sing and couldn't act', says Emma Thompson

[dayao]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:03am

She is regarded as one of the Hollywood greats. But Audrey Hepburn couldn't act, couldn't sing and was "fantastically twee", according to Emma Thompson in Aug 10, 2010 London Telegraph
article.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/7933194/Audrey-Hepburn-couldnt-sing-and-couldnt-act-says-Emma-Thompson.html

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:26am

So what?? Even Hollywood folk are entitled to their own opinion. We say stuff like that about star here all the time, why should it be any different for Emma Thompson? Just because so many people love her doesn't mean everyone has to.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:27am

Well, she wasn't known for her singing which was why she was dubbed in My Fair Lady and why Moon River was written the way it was.

But seriously, Emma? Seriously, here. Audrey is a "guy" thing? Is that why even today so many young woman look up to her as an icon? Because she's a "guy" thing?

I'm not usually one to get worried about things like this but hearing the term "feminist makeover" linked to My Fair Lady makes me cringe.

Updated On: 8/10/10 at 01:27 AM

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:27am

First off Emma Thompson is an idiot for saying that. Secondly why even bother making comments about someone who is dead. She could have easily not have said any of these things. Moron.

[philitalia2]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:30am

Well, Emma CAN sing and CAN act, but what a pity she played in some of the biggest crap coming out of Hollywood (for the sake of money ?)... and judging by the Nanny McPhee films she's not much of a writer, so probably she shouldn't be throwing stones. She hasn't made a decent film in decades.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:31am

You are right she is a moron for expressing an unpopular opinion, maybe we should look back at your posts and see what opinions you have shared. She is not a moron simply because she does not agree with you.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:32am

I think she could have worded it differently. It reads very bitchy.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:35am

Yes she is a moron for saying what she said when she is doing a remake of the movie. I'm sure the people making the movie aren't thrilled about her comments. There will be people not going to see this movie because of her comments.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:37am

First off Emma Thompson is an idiot for saying that. Secondly why even bother making comments about someone who is dead. She could have easily not have said any of these things. Moron.

This is just my opinion but I think Emma is just a little jealous. I like Emma Thompson as an actress. Much Ado About Nothing and Sense & Sensibility are favorites of mine. But she will never be the icon that Audrey is. She'll be remember I'm sure. But I highly doubt that nearly 20 years after her death teenage girls won't be looking up to her, watching her movies, carrying purses with her picture on them, or have prints of her on their walls. Audrey has that undying "it" factor that Emma just doesn't have.

You are right she is a moron for expressing an unpopular opinion, maybe we should look back at your posts and see what opinions you have shared. She is not a moron simply because she does not agree with you.

It's not really an unpopular opinion but more of an attack. It really reads as sour grapes as I pointed out above. She's taking a beloved movie into her hands and is trashing the much loved star of that movie. It's foolish to do so because it can turn people away from her take on the film. If she had said she wanted to "update" the character of Eliza without trashing Audrey it would be different.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:41am

This is just my opinion but I think Emma is just a little jealous. I like Emma Thompson as an actress. Much Ado About Nothing and Sense & Sensibility are favorites of mine. But she will never be the icon that Audrey is. She'll be remember I'm sure. But I highly doubt that nearly 20 years after her death teenage girls won't be looking up to her, watching her movies, carrying purses with her picture on them, or have prints of her on their walls. Audrey has that undying "it" factor that Emma just doesn't have.

How come every time one person says something negative about another, it's because they're jealous? I don't think Emma Thompson ever had any intention of becoming the kind of style icon Audrey Hepburn is.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:42am

She really should have been less bitchy and on-the-nose, and it almost seems like she was just trying to stir something up. That said, she's absolutely correct.

[philitalia2]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:42am

** I think she could have worded it differently. It reads very bitchy.**

It's not the first time in the past few weeks she's been in the news with bitchy comments. I've never known her to make nasty comments like that (at least not in public).

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 1:49am

Upon reading the article, I don't even find it to be that bitchy; she just doesn't care for Hepburn's on-screen persona and acting style. If it wasn't an actress/icon that's such a big part of cultural history, people wouldn't be getting their panties in a bunch.

[philitalia]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 3:11am

Here's a link to a Daily Telegraph article. Reaction to Emma's comments.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/7935455/Why-Audrey-Hepburn-was-a-real-star.html

[HistoryBoy2]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 5:23am

Hepburn has obviously made a massive impact due to her style and elegance and so on, but Emma Thompson is undoubtedly a better actress.

[philitalia]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 5:33am

I agree with you that Thompson is (probably!) a better actress, but what a pity she's waisting this HUGE amount of talent on crappy Hollywood projects - as an actress and as a "writer" (is it really necessary to take credit for writing Nanny McPhee ?).
At least Hepburn made the most of the talent she had.
I don't know what's gotten into Thompson ... lately she's been in the spotlight more than once with comments that haven't gone down well.

Updated On: 8/10/10 at 05:33 AM

[monestere]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 5:59am

Audrey Hepburn is one of only three actresses to receive a Best Actress Oscar (Roman Holiday) and Best Actress Tony (Ondine) in the same year, in addition to a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for her performances in Roman Holiday (1953), The Nun’s Story (1959) and Charade (1963). Any intelligent person who sees her in “Sabrina”, “The Nun’s Story”, “Love in the Afternoon”, "Breakfast at Tiffany's", “Charade”, “Wait Until Dark”, “Two for the Road” and yes, “My Fair Lady”, can attest that not only is she an actor, she’s a very fine one and few, if any actors, possessed the ability to light up the screen with the kind of unexplainable presence she regularly displayed on film (certainly not Emma Thompson).

As far as her singing abilities, Hepburn, by her own admission at the time, was not a soprano. Whether we approve of it or not, dubbing was a standard Hollywood practice and for me does not diminish one bit her superb acting performance as Eliza. Nobody, in my opinion, has ever performed “Moon River” or “How Long Has This Been Going On?” as memorably as Hepburn.

Updated On: 8/10/10 at 05:59 AM

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 7:16am

I think it's interesting that Carey Mulligan is in negotiations to play Eliza. She has a quality about her that I can only describe as Audrey Hepburnesque, and the same thing where while you're unsure objectively how talented she is, she's fun to watch and has tons of screen presence. You'd think from Thompson's comments that she'd be going far in the other direction. She's entitled to her opinion, but I disagree with her, of course.

[madbrian]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 7:49am

Like everyone else, Thompson gets to have her opinions, but if she chooses to share them with the world, she subjects herself to the world's responses. In my opinion, she is way off base. It's one thing to say she didn't like Hepburn's take on Eliza, but quite another to make the broad statement that she can't act. Every shred of evidence is contrary to that opinion.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 7:55am

Here's the really stupid part with Hollywood and its denizens. They all think they can do better with their remake.

And 10 times out of 10, they're wrong.

This is the worst way to approach a remake of a classic, Oscar-winning film (8 Oscars), beloved by millions, and a huge hit at the box office in its day. Instead of trying to rise to the occasion and serve the (already tested) material and the (already tested) production aspects, from acting to directing to costumes, etc., come right out and say something about it sucked, and "we can make it better."

No. No, you can't. You'll be damn lucky to make it just as good. Because movies like My Fair Lady don't happen often. Actresses like Audrey Hepburn don't happen often. At least acknowledge what came before you, or you just look foolish.

Emma sounds calculated with her comment, not so much bitchy. It's like she's intimidated by the shadow of the original. So she'll try to "kill it" from your mind. Make everyone think it was terrible, that Audrey was terrible ...

Emma Thompson is choking on her own ego, stumbling over it in that interview. Maybe that's why she hasn't done anything good in a very long time now herself. I expected better from her, particularly in an on-the-record interview.

Is it too late to dub Emma Thompson with a classy person? Can we fix it in post-production?

Updated On: 8/10/10 at 07:55 AM

[madbrian]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 7:58am

"Is it too late to dub Emma Thompson with a classy person?"

Maybe Marni Nixon?

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 8:41am

The MY FAIR LADY movie did suck! I love PYGMALION and the musical, but the film was a major bore. I always hoped someone would remake it so I'm excited about Thompson's interpretation. And I like that it's being shot on location as opposed to the stuffy sets of the original. Seriously, I felt the need for ventilation when I've watched the movie.

As for Hepburn, she's a passable actress. She's a revelation in ROMAN HOLIDAY, but like most major movie stars/icons, after a while she was just playing herself in every movie.

In short, I agree with Emma.

Updated On: 8/10/10 at 08:41 AM

[D2]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 9:08am

While I disagree with what Ms. Thompson said (and with Stagey, but that's an old argument anyway ), the only difference between what she said and what is posted on these boards on a regular basis is that she said it in a major publication with her own name attached to the comments.

[April Saul]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 9:33am

I think they're both fine actresses, but it was a mean thing to say and I'm sure, by now, Thompson regrets it.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 8/10/10 at 9:36am

The nonsense about Hepburn not being able to act aside (unless she's specifically talking about her perforamance in My Fair Lady?), I find this quote much more troubling -

In interviews with The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, she explained that Eliza is "sold into sexual slavery" by her father. "I suppose my cheekiness is in saying: 'This is a very serious story about the usage of women at a particular time in our history. And it's still going on today. Yes, OK, it's a wonderful musical, but let's also look at what it's really saying about the world."