Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn, These two Hollywood performers met on one occasion, and although they were two of the biggest movie stars and many expected great chemistry and a connection on screen, things did not happen that way.
Actually, Humphrey Bogart hated working with Audrey Hepburn and vice versa, and the bad relationship they had was such that they never worked together again.
The film that brought so much chaos to their lives was Sabrina, another movie classic that was released in 1954. It was a romantic comedy directed by the great Billy Wilder and starring Hepburn, Bogart, and William Holden. The story introduced us to two brothers, who after meeting the beautiful Sabrina, begin to dispute her love.
The film was a success, even getting six Oscar nominations. In addition, it is currently remembered as one of the most beloved romantic comedies of the classic Hollywood period. The story, the characters, and the beautiful costumes made by Givenchy were remembered. However, not everything was rosy.
To begin to understand where the problems came from, we need to focus on the casting of Humphrey Bogart for the role of Linus Larrabee. The actor had not been the first choice of Billy Wilder, who wanted Cary Grant instead.
However, he ended up opting for Bogart. This one on his side, he was not exactly enthusiastic about the film, because, for much of his career, he was in charge of starring in more dramatic, rude, and dark characters. But due to the demands of the studio, which claimed that he should be part of a comedy, he ended up accepting the role.
Of course, upon learning that it had not been Wilder's first choice, the relationship between the two became somewhat tense. It should be remembered that Humphrey had just been consecrated as Best Actor at the Oscars for The African Queen.
In addition, the performer did not agree with the director's way of working, who constantly rewrote the script, even during filming. One of Sabrina's scenes was filmed in 72 takes, as they kept making changes as they tried different takes.
Added to all this was the presence of Audrey Hepburn and William Holden. At the time of filming the film, Humphrey Bogart was 55 while the actress was 25. For his part, Holden was 36. Therefore, the 30-year difference between Bogart and Hepburn was a very important factor in the bad relationship between the two.
The actor considered that the actress was not the right one for the character of Sabrina, and she seemed inexperienced and unprofessional to him. This is all made worse considering that he wanted his wife, Lauren Bacall, for the lead role. Asked on one occasion about what it was like to work with the actress, he replied: “It's fine. If you don't mind doing a dozen takes."
This is not to say that Audrey didn't have bad things to say about the actor. For her part, the actress considered him grumpy, and she did not enjoy being in his company. She even went so far as to mention that she was intimidated by Bogart. Very contrary to this was her relationship with William Holden, with whom she began an affair during the time that the filming of the film lasted.
Holden and Hepburn, very much in love, had formed a very good friendship with Billy Wilder, and the three of them often spent time together off-set, leaving out Bogart, who only got even more upset. Consequently, Humphrey went on to accuse the director of cutting his scenes and giving his scene less importance due to his favoritism towards Holden. And the rivalry between the two actors was such that on one occasion they had to be separated during a physical altercation in the middle of filming.
Many bet on a great screen chemistry between Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, but this never happened. Her personalities were very opposite: he had a much more glamorous style while she kept a much lower profile and did not enjoy the Hollywood scene and luxury as much.
Consequently, both spent the entire shoot at odds, although always professional, making sure they never crossed paths on a project again. Years later, Humphrey Bogart apologized to Billy Wilder for his behavior on set, claiming he had been going through personal problems. However, he never apologized to Audrey.
On the other hand, the brief romance between Hepburn and William Holden dissolved shortly after the film was finished, as the actress had plans to start a family with the actor, but he could not give her what she wanted, starting with the fact that he was married to another woman.
