Marian Seldes on Audrey Hepburn: Run Toward Kindness

Audrey Hepburn in her dressing room, 1954, by Mark Shaw.

Interview with Marian Seldes

Conducted by James Grissom

New York City

1991

Everything about Audrey was magical, and I was aware of her need to have things work well for others. She was magical because of her beauty and her talent and her charm, but she amplified her magic, her power, by virtue of constant work at remaining above the din and the dirt of everyday life. I learned from her. I learned that it is a discipline to be kind, to pay attention, to move things along for other people.

It is also a form of denial, but one that is healthy, that protects a person and those around her. Audrey was as frightened of a negative thought or a dark day as she was of the war that had shaped her as a child. She ran toward kindness, and I had always known that I wanted to be that kind of person, and she taught me how I might become that person.

© James Grissom  2020