Audrey Hepburn is irrefutably one of the most iconic actresses to have ever graced the silver-screen. She was born in Brussels, Belgium but her mother made her flee to The Netherlands after World War II commenced believing that the nation would stay neutral as they did in World War I. However, plans often go awry. The Nazi’s invaded Holland and started a five-year occupation of tyranny and terror. Hepburn endured a lot over this period but even at this young age, she was beginning to show the steeled determination and resolve that would see her rise to the top of the studio system in the golden-age of Hollywood. It has been said that she would hold secretive silent ballet performances in order to raise money for the Dutch resistance. Perhaps …show more content…
It was then that she decided to make the switch to acting; Hepburn got her first lead role in Gigi on Broadway and then exploded onto the screens with ‘Roman Holiday’ in 1953. Although this role is technically just another damsel in distress who is waiting on a man to come and save her from herself, Hepburn becomes the character so fully that you just can’t help getting emotionally involved in her performance. With this role, Hepburn is starting to move the idea of women in film from a place of automotive obedience and dim-wittedness to a place of wonderful diversity and solidarity. Before Hepburn came along there was no one around quite like her - audience’s worldwide had already grown smitten with Monroe’s ‘blonde bombshell’ and Grace Kelly’s elegance and sensuality so what could Hepburn bring that is fresh and new? To start, Hepburn didn’t just have to rely on looks and sexuality to make her popular in the box office because she was an incredible actress. The final scene of ‘Roman Holiday’ is one of the most memorable of all her career. There isn’t much dialogue as she talks to the members of the press individually (mainly just ‘hellos’ and ‘thank you for being here’) but Audrey’s