by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

Audrey Hepburn has long been my favorite actress. She is irresistible in Sabrina, charming in Funny Face, poignant in The Children’s Hour, and steely in Wait Until Dark. But I also admire Two for the Road and appreciate both My Fair Lady and Love in the Afternoon. Two of my favorite Hepburn performances are, of course, her iconic turn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (a role she was not originally meant to play but made it her own) and Regina Lampert in Charade. (I maintain that the flirtation between costars Cary Grant on Audrey Hepburn on a Seine cruise could have been my parents).

I was always disappointed she made only a handful of movies when I could have seen first run in the theater. I did catch They All Laughed, a sweet comedy by Peter Bogdanovich that brought her out of ‘retirement.” But I hated Spielberg for wasting Hepburn (and putting her in sweatpants) in her last screen role, in Always—a dud of film.

But my favorite Hepburn performance will always be her first leading role: Princess Ann in Roman Holiday. The film introduced the world to Hepburn, branding her as elegant and regal (she was), but with a little bit of gleeful (and wholesome) mischief that made her a pre-cursor to the manic pixie dream girl trope.

The plot of Roman Holiday is simple and delightful. Tired of her responsibilities on her European tour, Princess Ann escapes and meets cute with Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), a newspaper man who provides her with a place to sleep when he thinks she is drunk. (She was given a sedative). Joe doesn’t recognize the Princess at first, but he later realizes who she is, and secretly plans to spend the next day with her, pretending to be “unaware” of her identity to get a juicy exclusive.

Peck is terrific, acting gentlemanly and handling his situation with aplomb. He also enlists the help (and financial support) of his friend, Irving (Eddie Albert), who will surreptitiously photograph Ann throughout the day.

But it is Hepburn who enchants here. It is not just her wide-eyed innocence and joy as she experiences things like getting to wear pajamas for the first time or cause havoc by driving a Vespa through the crowded streets of the Eternal City (and getting called into the police). Her naivete is ingratiating, especially in the film’s classic scene where Joe takes the Princess to the Boca de Veritas (Mouth of Truth) and tells her that if she is lying, the mouth will bite her hand off. This frightens her, and Joe teases her further by pretending to lose his hand in the mouth.

Princess Ann’s madcap adventures also include a marvelous scene of her getting a haircut—the literary (and cinematic) symbol of a life change—and later dancing on a barge with her hairdresser. The evening turns into a brawl when agents try to bring her home, and Princess Ann jumps into the water to follow Joe to safety. They soon end up kissing in a dreamy moment that makes me swoon. 

But just as the couple’s fairy-tale romance begins, alas, it must end. “I have to leave you now,” Princess Ann tells Joe as he drops her off to return to her duties. It is a heartbreaking goodbye, and I remember my first time seeing the film and thinking—Don’t be upset. You will get together again. Spoiler alert: they do, but only in a professional capacity. Joe attends Princess Ann’s press conference, where he sends a message to her that he will keep her escapades out of the papers—an act of true love. I can’t help but get choked up every time.

However, the real reason I love Roman Holiday is because of its stars. In college, I was a newspaper man, granted the opportunity to interview Gregory Peck at a press conference. Peck was the distinguished, noble gentleman one would expect from how he presented himself on screen in films like Roman Holiday, Gentleman’s Agreement, and of course, To Kill a Mockingbird.

There was a tribute to Peck later that same night and my companion Barbara and I arrived to the venue close to start of the evening, which meant we had to sit in the balcony. As the lights went down, Ms. Hepburn surprised everyone by taking the stage to introduce her “favorite leading man” and present him with his honor.

As the tribute concluded, Barbara and I went downstairs entering a lobby that was empty save one person—Ms. Hepburn. Seizing the opportunity, I approached and told her, “You are my favorite actress.” I then asked one question: “May I kiss you?” And with her consent, I bussed her on the cheek. She then spoke in that regal voice of hers, “Now the other one, darling.” And I kissed her again. It was like a dream. All night long, Barbara kept repeating, “I can’t believe you kissed Audrey Hepburn.”

And to this day, I still can’t believe it either. But whenever I see Roman Holiday, I can’t help but think of that night. And that our love was short lived like Joe and Princess Ann’s. It’s a good thing she didn’t say, “I have to leave you now.” I would have been heartbroken.