Audrey Hepburn is one of the most recognizable faces and celebrities in Hollywood’s history. While her life in the public eye has been well documented, her life behind closed doors remains less so.
However, in the years since her passing in 1993, her family members have shared rare and sweet details of their time with the actress, with the latest being her own son, Luca Dotti.
Luca, now 55, is Audrey’s second son, welcomed with her second husband Andrea Dotti. Not as much is known about his childhood and life now. He lives in Italy working as a graphic designer and is married to Domitilla Bertusi, also a graphic designer and illustrator.
Luca has, however, written several biographies about his mother, most recently working with Christopher Longé, who opened up to Woman’s World about some of the details he shared about growing up with the Oscar winning actress in Switzerland, in their famed 18th century home, valued now at about $23 million.
Christopher noted that he and Luca were both most surprised to realize through their research how strong-willed Audrey really was. “I think she always did what she wanted to do in a movie career,” he shared.
“When she decided to stop, she stopped. And when she decided to go on with UNICEF, she put 100% of her life into helping children all around the world. She always tried to focus on what she felt.”
© Getty ImagesHe explained also that to the Roman Holiday star, what mattered most were the small things in life, the simple pleasures. “She was very friendly. All that mattered during her life were having kids and taking care of her family.”
Sharing some of the tidbits he’d obtained from her son of life in Switzerland, he added: “She was a very simple woman. Luca told me that when he grew up in Switzerland, his mother wanted him to go to the public school, and when they came home, Audrey made cookies.”
© Getty ImagesWhile their latest biography, Audrey Hepburn: An Illustrated Biography, also touches on her love life, it doesn’t go too deep, as Christopher shares: “There are some [relationships] that we knew were true, but we didn’t feel it was interesting to include in that book.”
However, they did also effectively put to rest the theory that Audrey had a difficult relationship with Julie Andrews. As the story goes, Audrey was cast in the 1964 film adaptation of My Fair Lady as Eliza Doolittle, a role Julie originated on the stage.
© Getty ImagesThis was because producer Jack L. Warner preferred Audrey for the part due to her established success and unwillingness to bank on someone who’d never made a movie before. Things came to a head during the 1965 Oscar race when Audrey did not receive a nomination for Best Actress (despite the film winning eight trophies, including Best Picture) and Julie won for her eventual movie debut, Mary Poppins.
© Getty Images“Julie Andrews came very often to the house,” Christopher revealed. “Cary Grant was a very close friend of hers. When I was talking to Luca, it’s like every day a new star comes along and says hi to Audrey.”
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