Lily Collins has been cast to play Audrey Hepburn in an upcoming biopic focusing on the making of the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the actress announced Monday on Instagram. The project, a long-held ambition for Collins, is based on Sam Wasson’s book Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Dawn of the Modern Woman, which details the tumultuous production of the iconic romantic comedy.
“It’s with almost 10 years of development and a lifetime of admiration and adoration for Audrey that I’m finally able share this,” Collins wrote in her post. “Honored and ecstatic don’t begin to express how I feel.”
The film is being developed through Collins’ production company, Case Study Films, with Alena Smith, creator of the Apple TV+ series Dickinson, writing the screenplay. Collins has long been noted for her resemblance to Hepburn, a comparison frequently made by fans and observers throughout her career. In 2014, Collins told Marie Claire that Hepburn’s “timeless features, elegance, and charm will always represent the epitome of grace.”
The casting arrives after a previous attempt to portray Hepburn on screen drew criticism for not selecting Collins. In 2022, Rooney Mara was cast in a different Hepburn project, prompting disappointment from many who believed Collins was the more natural choice.
News of Collins’ casting has been met with widespread support from her peers. Julianne Hough commented on Collins’ Instagram post, stating, “Channeling this icon is what what you were born for,” while Sarah Hyland wrote, “I’VE BEEN SAYING THIS SINCE THE MOMENT WE MET!!!”
Collins’ father-in-law, Malcolm McDowell, told People magazine in 2024 that she “got that Audrey Hepburn kind of thing going, which is indefinable in a way, but it’s there.”
The announcement comes as Collins also navigates the conclusion of her role as Emily Cooper in the Netflix series Emily in Paris.