Inside Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant’s magical relationship

After watching Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant shine onscreen in the 1963 film Charade, it is clear that the pair shared a special bond built on mutual admiration and respect. And yet, their journey to friendship was not an easy one, with Cary turning down several offers to star alongside the Oscar winner over the years.

Cary, who was 25 years Audrey’s senior and one of the brightest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, said no to working with her on Roman Holiday in 1953, Sabrina in 1954, and Love in the Afternoon in 1957.

The age gap proved too much for Cary, who didn’t want to be seen chasing after a younger woman like Audrey onscreen. 

The actors finally met at a dinner party thrown by Charade director Stanley Donen, and despite Audrey spilling a bottle of wine on Cary’s crisp cream suit, he immediately became enchanted with her easy charm. 

When Cary was offered the role of Peter Joshua in Charade opposite Audrey, he turned it down, again due to the age gap problem. 

The writers then changed the plot to have Audrey’s character, Regina Lampert, pursue him rather than the other way round, making it more palatable for the audience.

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“I gave him lines like, ‘I’m too old for you, get away from me, little girl,'” said Peter Stone, the screenwriter. “She chased him, and he tried to dissuade her. She pursued him and sat in his lap. She found him irresistible, and ultimately, he was worn down by her.”

After one of Cary’s projects fell through, he was able to join the Charade cast and begin filming in late 1962, when he was 58 years old, and Audrey was 33. Former child actor Thomas Chelimsky shared with Vanity Fair that “there was a magic on the set”, and he bonded with both Audrey and Cary.

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Following the film’s 1963 release, Cary reportedly declared: “All I want for Christmas is another film with Audrey Hepburn.” The pair reunited in 1981 when he was honored at the Kennedy Centre for lifetime achievement, with Audrey presenting the award to him.

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“If all the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players, then here’s a very special player who has also been our friend,” she said in her speech. “In gratitude and love I end, you have truly been a friend.”

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Audrey and Cary stayed in contact over the years, writing letters back and forth. In one memorable missive, he described her as “star-bright”, “a dear”, “thoughtful” and “considerate”, while Audrey spoke on their deep friendship years after his passing in 1986.

“Cary – such a lovely souvenir in my life…He had me down flat the minute he met me. I think he understood me better than I did myself,” she wrote.