Roman Holiday: 10 curiosities about the classic with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck they celebrate 70 years of Roman holidays. The classic of William Wyler which tells the wonderful love story between Princess Anne and US reporter Joe Bradlyagainst the background of Eternal City. The film that turns the fairy tale upside down Cinderella consecrated the British actress in the Mecca of Cinema, allowed the American star to take a “romance” turn and definitively launched the career of the future director of Ben Hur. The very first Hollywood film shot entirely abroad, Roman holidays cashed the record figure of 12 million dollars all over the world.

Candidate for almost all Oscars principals, he will win Three: to Audrey Hepburn the statuette for best actress, to the legendary Edith Head the one for the costumes and to Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton the screenplay award. The latter, in fact, bore the signature of Dalton Trumbo (retrieve the biopic with Bryan Cranston) but at the time, due to the accusations of aiding and abetting communism, the great writer was unable to withdraw it. The Oscar was recognized only in 1992, sixteen years after his death. From the gold ball gown that inspired Belle to the impromptu scene in front of the Mouth of Truth to the never-made sequel. We celebrate 70 years of Roman holidays in 10 curiosities.

The film is inspired by a true royal love story

Roman holidays is inspired by the true love story of Princess Margaret of England, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, and RAF colonel and war hero, Peter Townsend. In reality, two years before the release of the film, the British princess had escaped to Italy for an anonymous holiday.

The dance scene

Real Italian nobles appear in the famous embassy ball sequence. Even the reporters at the end of the film are real.

Audrey inspired a Disney princess

It is said that Belle de The beauty and the Beast is inspired by the English actress. It is no coincidence, in fact, that the iconic gold-colored ball gown in the Disney classic is based on the royal gown worn by Audrey aka Princess Anne.

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck

Not everyone knows that Paramount originally wanted to cast Elizabeth Taylor and Cary Grant in the lead role but both declined in favor of Hepburn and Peck.

Rivalry with Cary Grant

Gregory Peck was “hungry” for comedy (he had never acted in a rom-com) and jumped at the opportunity. He felt like every romantic script «contained Cary Grant’s fingerprints».

The sequel never made

In the 1970s, both Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn were approached with the idea of ​​a sequel, but the project never materialized.

The Roman location

Always portrayed in peplums, Caput Mundi is the absolute protagonist. The Ministry of Tourism had originally refused permission to film in Rome because it would «degraded the Italians». Once the matter was resolved, filming took place entirely in the capital (Piazza di Spagna, the Colosseum, Trinità dei Monti…) and in the Cinecittà studios for the interiors. The film was originally intended to be in color, but shooting outdoors was so expensive that they resorted to black and white. It turned out to be a winning stylistic choice.

To Rome with Love

When Gregory Peck came to Italy to shoot Roman holidays, was deeply depressed over his recent separation from his first wife, Greta Kukkonen. But during filming he fell madly in love with a woman of French origin named Veronique Passani. After her divorce, he married her and they remained together for the rest of his life.

The Mouth of Truth

The famous scene in which Gregory puts his hand into the Mouth of Truth pretending to have lost it was not in the script but was improvised by the actor himself, arousing a genuine frightened reaction in Audrey.

Vespa Special

The scene of Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn whizzing through the Roman alleys on the Piaggio Vespa marks the success of the made in Italy scooter patented in 1946, just seven years before its iconic film debut.