The 5 unusual habits of Audrey Hepburn

Genius is rarely ordinary. Scientists suggest that the ability of high achievers to focus intensely often results in unusual behavioural side effects. These quirks explain the unexpected habits of beloved cultural icons. Audrey Hepburn is a primary example of this phenomenon.

A numbers game

Football fans understand the importance of specific digits. Hepburn considered 55 her lucky number. This was her dressing room number for Roman Holiday, which earned her an Academy Award. She used the same room for Breakfast At Tiffany’s while playing Holly Golightly. The superstition had limits. Room 55 could not save the 1964 film Paris When It Sizzles, which critics dismissed as lightweight hokum.

In step with the times

Hepburn displayed her dancing skills in films like 1957’s Funny Face with Fred Astaire. This was more than a professional requirement. During World War Two, her family fled Belgium for the Netherlands. Hepburn studied ballet at the Arnhem Conservatory. By 1940, she performed in secret to raise funds for the Dutch resistance. She later noted that her best audience made no sound at the end of the performance.

Beauty sleep

Hepburn maintained the European habit of the afternoon siesta. She slept every afternoon to manage the demands of long filming days. Each nap was followed by a single square of chocolate to improve her mood. It was a consistent daily ritual.

Mother nature

Hepburn owned conventional pets like her Yorkshire Terrier, Mr Famous. She also kept more unusual companions. While filming Green Mansions in 1959, an animal trainer suggested she take a fawn named Pippin home to bond. The deer became a permanent fixture in her life. Hepburn even provided the animal with a custom bathtub.