Audrey Hepburn A-Z: N is for...

N is for...The Nun's Story!

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Audrey's friends and family all agreed: if there was ever a character that she portrayed who was so similar to the Audrey they knew, it was Sister Luke from The Nun's Story. Released in 1959, this film earned Audrey her third Oscar nomination (she would lose to Simone Signoret for Room at the Top). 

The Nun's Story, directed by Fred Zinnemann, is loosely based on the life of Marie Louise Habets, a Belgian nun who entered the convent in the 1920s and traveled to the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to medically assist doctors. Audrey's nun, Gabrielle van der Maal, later Sister Luke, follows the same life trajectory that ultimately sees her leaving the convent behind in order to continue doing what she believes the Lord has set out for her. 

Audrey once said, "I am like Sister Luke in many ways." She shared a lot of similar traits with Marie Louise: they were both born in Belgium, and both lost their fathers early on in life, among other characteristics. When they met, they became immediate and life-long friends. 

But Audrey wasn't the first choice to play Sister Luke. Ingrid Bergman, who'd recently won the Oscar for Anastasia and was slowly regaining her reputation following her divorce from Roberto Rossellini, was originally offered the part but turned it down because she felt she was too old to play it. She instead suggested Audrey.

Audrey was lent out to Warner Brothers to make the film (she was under contract with Paramount) and had a film added to her contract to make the film. She threw herself into research: she learned about medical supplies and procedures, how to live in a convent, and, once she'd temporarily moved to Los Angeles (staying Deborah Kerr's house, no less), she began visiting with Marie Louise and Kate (the author of The Nun's Story, who was now Marie Louise's companion) to learn everything she could about being a nun and portraying it correctly. 

Filming took place in Rome and the Belgian Congo, with Audrey saying that "It was my best memory of any film set, because of our close community spirit." 

Director Fred Zinnemann was totally and thoroughly impressed with Audrey throughout filming, and wasn't shy with letting everyone know that he thought she'd created a tour-de-force performance. In a letter to Kurt Frings, he wrote, "I have never seen anyone more disciplined, more gracious or more dedicated to her work than Audrey. There was no ego, no asking for extra favours...she has proven herself a great actress in a very difficult and exacting part." 

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The Nun's Story premiered on July 18, 1959 to rave reviews, both for the film itself and for Audrey. The New York Times reported at the time that, "In the role of the nun, Miss Hepburn is fluent and luminous. From her eyes and her eloquent expressions emerge a character that is warm and involved."

Audrey would receive her third Best Actress Oscar nomination for the role (this was one of eight nominations the film received, in addition to Best Picture and Best Director); and won the BAFTA and the New York Film Critics Circle Award. She was also nominated for the Golden Globe. 

Audrey's friendship with Marie Louise Habets continued for the rest of her life, and when she fractured her back in a riding accident on the set of Unforgiven, Marie Louise came to take care of Audrey as she recuperated. The two wrote letters back and forth for the rest of their lives. Habets died in 1986. 

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