For actors, it can be a lucrative experience playing another thespian in a biopic. Michelle Williams won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn, while Robert Downey Jr picked up a BAFTA for his take on Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin. So Rooney Mara has reason to be hopeful that her turn in Apple TV+'s new project about the life of Audrey Hepburn could see her finally scoring an Oscar, after being nominated twice.
Her first nod came in 2011 for her harrowing turn in the English language adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based on the book series Men Who Hate Women by Swedish author Stiegg Larrson. She played punk vigilante and hacker Lisbeth Salander, opposite Daniel Craig's leading man. Next she was nominated for her role as a lonely photographer in Carol, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt, in which she falls in love with Cate Blanchett's eponymous character.
With the role of Hepburn, she has a rich history to draw on. Born in Belgium in 1929, her mother was a Dutch noblewoman, while her father was a facist who supported Oswald Mosley. It was in the Netherlands that Hepburn spent her formative years, training as a ballerina. During the Nazi occupation, her family lost their fortunes, and Hepburn later spoke of their struggle with starvation, which led to various medical conditions that remained throughout her life.
She moved to London in the 1950s, being cast in various small parts, before hitting the big time with her role in 1953's Roman Holiday. After that, Hollywood came calling, as she appeared in hit after hit, including Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sabrina and My Fair Lady. She became known for her elegant style and collaborations with French couturier Hubert de Givenchy, and was pitched by the media as the anti-Marilyn, an ethereal waif to her over-sexed bombshell - although of course, neither woman could be neatly put in a box.
She was married twice, first to director Mel Ferrer, and secondly to Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti. She stepped away from the film industry later in life, instead focusing on her humanitarian work, and was widely regarded as a leader in that field, working as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She died aged 63 in 1993, leaving behind two sons, Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Luca Dotti. The casting of Mara has the blessing of Sean, who told Fox News: ‘Rooney is a delight. Sounds like there is a lot of love there.’
While Mara is also producing the project, it is set to be directed by Call Me By Your Name's Luca Guadagnino. Clearly fans of each other's work, Mara is currently filming his highly-anticipated adaptation of Brideshead Revisited, in which she is playing Julia Flyte and Joe Alwyn and Andrew Garfield are playing Sebastian Flyte and Charles Ryder respectively.
