Lily Collins cast as Audrey Hepburn after years of fan comparisons
Lily Collins cast as Audrey Hepburn after years of fan comparisons
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYMon, February 23, 2026 at 7:57 PM UTC
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Lily Collins' latest role has been a long time coming.
The "Emily in Paris" star, 36, is set to play legendary actress Audrey Hepburn in an upcoming movie about the making of the classic film "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Collins confirmed the news in an Instagram post on Monday, Feb. 23.
"It's with almost 10 years of development and a lifetime of admiration and adoration for Audrey that I'm finally able share this," she wrote. "Honored and ecstatic don't begin to express how I feel."
According to Deadline, the movie is based on the Sam Wasson book "Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's and the Dawn of the Modern Woman," which chronicles the making of Hepburn's iconic 1961 romantic comedy. Alena Smith, creator of the Apple TV series "Dickinson," is writing the screenplay for the film, which is in development at Collins' production company Case Study Films.
Lily Collins, left, is set to play Audrey Hepburn in a film about the making of "Breakfast At Tiffany's."
Collins, best known for her role as Emily Cooper on the Netflix series "Emily in Paris," has frequently been compared to Hepburn throughout her career. In fact, when a separate movie project cast Rooney Mara to play Hepburn in 2022, many fans expressed disappointment that the role didn't go to the "Emily in Paris" actress instead.
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Collins has often discussed her admiration for Hepburn, saying in a 2014 interview with Marie Claire that the screen legend's "timeless features, elegance, and charm will always represent the epitome of grace." After sharing the casting news on Monday, Collins reshared several Instagram posts she has made about Hepburn over the years, including one from 2017 where she called the actress "one of my biggest" inspirations.
Lily Collins attends the 11th Breakthrough Prize ceremony at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on April 5, 2025.
Malcolm McDowell, Collins' father-in-law, also told People magazine in 2024 that she has "got that Audrey Hepburn kind of thing going, which is indefinable in a way, but it's there."
Reactions to Lily Collins as Audrey Hepburn
In response to Monday's announcement, many of Collins' famous followers took to the comments of her Instagram post to cheer her on and suggest the casting was meant to be. "Channeling this icon is what what you were born for," Julianne Hough wrote, while Sarah Hyland commented, "I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS SINCE THE MOMENT WE MET!!!"
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Some fans have also suggested Ariana Grande could play Hepburn on screen in some sort of project.
But when "Access Hollywood" asked the "Wicked" star about that possibility last year, she shot back, "Why is everyone asking me this? You're insane!"
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lily Collins to play Audrey Hepburn in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' movie
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
