Originally published on 11/25/25

Any Audrey Hepburn fan knows that the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of her most recognizable roles. Between the sunglasses, the pearls, the cigarette and, of course, the cat named Cat, Hepburn truly shined as Holly Golightly. But what if we told you she wasn’t the original choice for the role? Back when Paramount Studios was casting the film, they initially wanted Marilyn Monroe to slip on the shades and head to Tiffany’s. So why didn’t that happen? And was Hepburn ever upset that she wasn’t the first choice for the part? We break it all down below. 

A look at what could have happened if Marilyn Monroe​ had been cast in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

Truman Capote’s novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s was published in 1958, solidifying him as one of the greatest writers of all time. And when they decided to turn it into a movie, Capote had Monroe in mind to play Holly, not Hepburn. 

Part of the reason for this was that he thought Hepburn was too innocent-seeming to play a woman who makes her money by entertaining men. He also thought that she was too inexperienced as an actress, whereas Monroe had already made a name for herself in Hollywood. Capote and Monroe were also friends at the time of the film’s casting, which many believed also played a part in why he was so dead set on having her be a part of the Breakfast at Tiffany’s cast. 

Monroe herself was also reportedly on board with the idea—until her acting coach Paula Strasberg (wife of famous acting teacher Lee Strasberg) told her that the role would portray her as a “lady of the evening,” not a fun, stylish and sociable call girl. This scared Monroe and led to her saying that even if the role was offered to her, she wouldn’t take it. It was therefore presented to Hepburn instead. 

Who Truman Capote really thought Holly was

Ironically, Capote himself never really returned to the idea of Holly as a call girl. In fact, in a 1968 interview, he said, “Holly Golightly was not precisely a call girl.” 

“She had no job, but accompanied expense-account men to the best restaurants and nightclubs, with the understanding that her escort was obligated to give her some sort of gift, perhaps jewelry or a check,” he continued. “These girls are the authentic American geishas, and they’re much more prevalent now than in 1943 or 1944, which was Holly’s era. Every year, New York is flooded with these girls, and two or three, usually models, always become prominent and get their names in the gossip columns and are seen in all the prominent places with all the Beautiful People. And then they fade away and marry some accountant or dentist, and a new crop of girls arrives from Michigan or South Carolina and the process starts all over again.” 

“The main reason I wrote about Holly, outside of the fact that I liked her so much, was that she was such a symbol of all these girls who come to New York and spin in the sun for a moment like May flies and then disappear. I wanted to rescue one girl from that anonymity and preserve her for posterity,” Capote elaborated. 

How Audrey Hepburn felt about not being the first choice for Holly

While Hepburn was never outwardly upset about not being the first choice for Holly Golightly, she was reportedly very uncomfortable when Capote came to set, as she knew he hadn’t wanted her for the part. Even so, Hepburn often spoke very highly of her time in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and remained close friends with her costar, George Peppard, right up until she died in 1993.

“It’s the story of a girl who liked to grab a doughnut and walk through Tiffany’s famous jewelry store while eating,” Hepburn told The Charlotte News in 1961. “How could anything happen to a girl there?”

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/celebrities/why-marilyn-monroe-said-no-to-being-cast-in-breakfast-at-tiffanys