Audrey Hepburn A-Z: J is for...
J is for...Joke!
It's one of the better known scenes in Roman Holiday, when Gregory Peck sticks his hand into the Mouth of Truth and terrifies Audrey Hepburn....
In Roman Holiday, Audrey plays Princess Ann, a European princess who takes a day-long vacation in Rome, while Gregory plays Joe Bradley, an American reporter who plans to get a big royal scoop when he comes across the princess in hiding. During their adventures, Joe takes Ann to the Mouth of Truth so that his photographer friend Irving can get a photo of her.
Joe: The legend is that if you’re given to lying, you put your hand in there, it’ll be bitten off.
Ann: Ooh, what a horrid idea.
He asks Ann to stick her hand in there (knowing that she's lying about her identity), and she does,very quickly, relieved that her hand wasn't bitten off. It's when Joe sticks his hand in that the fun begins.
Gregory Peck decided to have some fun with the scene. He takes his time sliding his hand into the Mouth of Truth, and then, once he has it firmly inside, he slides his hand back into his sleeve and lets out a yelp.
Audrey believed he was actually losing his hand – her reaction there is entirely genuine, rushing forward to help free Gregory then covering her eyes when she sees his hand is gone. Once he pushes his hand out to shake hers, and she realizes she’s been pranked, she punches him in the chest, falling into his arms and calls him a beast.
Watch the scene here:
Made famous by Roman Holiday, the Bocca della Verità (or Mouth of Truth, in English) stands at the Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, an artifact that dates back to the first century CE. Nobody knows its exact purpose (it's been suggested as a manhole cover, a drain for blood during sacrifices, and a wall piece) nor who it depicts (some think it's a Pagan god, others think it's Oceanus), but it has been used as a lie detector through the centuries.
According to the Atlas Obscura, "This belief seems to have originated during the Middle Ages when the disc was supposedly used during trials having the accused put their hand in the slot and if found to be untruthful a hidden axeman would lop off the appendage. While this use seems to be apocryphal, the superstition persists to this day."
This scene in Roman Holiday is one of my favourites because it showcases the natural chemistry between Audrey and Gregory. According to people on the set, and the actors themselves, they became quick and lifelong friends (Gregory even introduced her to her first husband, Mel Ferrer, at a party).
Even though the gossip magazines were full of stories about the two falling in love on set, it couldn't have been further from the truth: Audrey was engaged to a British businessman (who she'd later break up with) and Gregory had just met the woman who would become his second wife, Italian journalist Veronique Passani.
Roman Holiday was a bonafide hit when it premiered in 1953. Everybody raved about this newcomer, Audrey Hepburn, who would certainly become a star (she won her only competitive Oscar for the role). There are competing stories that Gregory Peck did or did not play a part in getting her above-the-title billing for the film, recognizing her talent and stardom, but regardless, their friendship was cemented and endured.
"She was the most extraordinary, natural actress," Gregory said about her, "but not even so much an actress as a person of great, great quality. Great depth, great intelligence, great human, a wonderful, wonderful lady. I treasure in my recollections of my career those six months that we spent in Rome; probably the happiest experience that I had making movies."
After her death in 1993, Gregory tearfully recited one of her favourite poems on television and said, "I was the luckiest man in the world, I think, to make Audrey's first picture, Roman Holiday."
"I liked her a lot; in fact, I loved Audrey. It was easy to love her."
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Who's your favourite of Audrey's leading men? Give me Gregory Peck or Peter O'Toole any day!
Come back soon for the letter K!
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